Digital Impressions: Eliminating the Weak Link

"Everybody knows impressions are the weak link in the restorative process. We've all been dreaming of the day when computers could take a more accurate impression, and now, that technology has arrived. Digital impressions are the wave of the future," says Laboratory Owner Dave Lampert. His lab, Town & Country Dental Studios, Freeport, New York, is one of the seven labs beta testing the Cadent Electronic Imaging Device, a digital impression-taking system that allows the dental team to fabricate PFM and all-ceramic restorations without a conventional impression. The design of the system builds upon Cadent, Inc.'s experience with its Orthocad™ service for orthodontists (see box at right) and has been in development for several years.

Here's how it works. The operatory components consist of a handheld scanner that connects to a hard drive and flat panel monitor housed on a mobile cart; the entire system is wireless. The dentist or assistant fills...