Like all vital sciences, dentistry continues to become more and more advanced. From the advent of robots capable of performing dental implant surgery to creating space-age materials that could turn teeth too slippery for cavity causing bacteria to latch on to, the future is looking brighter and brighter for smiles everywhere.
The Planmeca Emerald scanner is one of those technologies, and its changing dentistry for both patients and dentists alike.
What is the Planmeca Emerald Scanner?
The Planmeca Emerald scanner is a lightweight impressions capturing system that is entirely digital. Many patients might recognize the classic impression procedure of biting down on a thick liquid material placed in a “U”-shaped tray. Standard procedure for several treatments such as retainers, dental crowns, dentures, porcelain veneers, or custom whitening trays, require an incredibly accurate representation of your mouth in order to construct a treatment best suited to you.
With the Planmeca Emerald scanner, these impressions can be made digitally with a small, handheld device capable of taking accurate impressions of your mouth, without the need for impression material like alginate.
What are the Benefits?
Like most technologies, switching to digital simply saves time for you and your dentist. While traditional methods require you to bite down on an impression for a while, letting that impression solidify then sending it off to a lab, files can be sent directly. Once at the lab, they can use 3D printing technology to create models of your teeth to expedite the process of whatever restoration is required.
With this process, not only does the procedure become more streamlined (and faster), the result can also be more accurate. Especially for procedures such as, dental implants and orthodontics, that is, of course, very important. For dental implants, we can even combine the surface impressions from the Planmeca Emerald with x-ray impressions from our CBCT scanner. This allows us to get highly accurate surgical guides to help with precise placement of your implants.
The Smile Makeover You Can Trust
If you’ve ever felt embarrassed by your smile or discourage by the work required to transform it, you’re not alone. However, as technology progresses, dramatically transforming your smile becomes easier and easier. With treatment plans such as the Smile Makeover, you can work with a dentist to custom-design a combination of cosmetic dentistry procedures that can help you achieve your goals. Tools like the Planmeca Emerald scanner make that process easier.
Taking quick, efficient, and accurate impressions of your mouth can expedite the process of many restorative treatments.
If you want to learn more about how advanced technology such as the Planmeca Emerald scanner can give you the smile you deserve, please call (803) 781-9090 or contact Smile Columbia Dentistry today for an appointment.
