iTero Intraoral Scanner - Dentist in Harrow

We’re the proud owners of an iTero Intraoral Scanner

We’re one of the few dentists in the local area with an iTero Intraoral Scanner. This state-of-the-art equipment makes 3D digital models of your mouth, teeth and gums. We use to assess the health of your teeth and to make crowns, bridges, implants and braces.

How does an intraoral scanner work?

An intraoral scanner takes ‘impressions’ of your teeth, which is basically another word for image.

The dentist uses the ‘wand’, which a device around the size of a phone, to scan your mouth. The dentist puts the wand in your mouth and scans each tooth in turn. The scans go to the computer, which then stitches the images together into a 3D image.

Intraoral scanning versus traditional impressions

The alternative to intraoral scanners is to make a mould using a tray and putty. This is the conventional way of taking impressions. This isn’t a good way to take impressions however. For one thing, it’s messy and uncomfortable – you have to keep putty in your mouth for several minutes while it sets. There is also the problem of gagging; patients often feel the urge to spit the putty out.

Intraoral scanning really is the best of way of taking impressions. Just compare it with traditional putty impressions and see for yourself:

	Intraoral scanning	Traditional putty impressions
Comfort	Intraoral scanning is comfortable. You can breathe and swallow as normal. You can even pause during the process to ask questions.	You have to sit still for a few minutes while the putty hardens. Many patients find it uncomfortable to have putty in their mouth, and it’s common for the gag reflex to occur.
Quality	Impressions are detailed and high quality.	Impressions are sometimes inaccurate. This can lead to orthodontics that don’t fit correctly.
Speed	Scanning is fast. We can make 3D models in just a few minutes and then instantly pass these onto the lab. This means shorter waiting times for you and fewer appointments.	The process is slow. We have to ship the impressions to the laboratory, and they can be stuck in the post for up to a week.
Feedback	You can see the scans instantly on a screen in front of you.	Typically you won’t see your impressions.

What makes the iTero better than other scanners?

There are many intraoral scanners on the market, but the iTero is one of the most advanced. Here’s just a few of its features:

The iTero scans in colour, which allows us to easily tell out patients’ dental tissue apart from their gum tissue. This allows us to evaluate our patients with greater precision.
The iTero automates certain steps during the interoral scanning process. This speeds up the process of interoral scanning, which means you’ll spend less time in the dentist’s chair.
The iTero is faster and higher in precision than many other interoral scanners.

As of March 2016, iTero scanners have been used in more than 1.3 million orthodontic cases and more than 1.2 million restorative crown, bridge and custom implant cases. Come visit our Dental clinic in harrow to find out more!