Here at Cedar Walk Dentistry, we’re constantly investing in our patients by keeping up with the latest developments in dental care technology. One great recent innovation is called iTero. It’s not exactly a household name (yet, anyways), so we thought we’d take a few minutes to introduce this technology to you. We want you to understand just how exciting iTero is and how it can upgrade your dental care experience.
The iTero family of devices is all about one thing: scanning and modeling your mouth. There are many scenarios in dentistry where obtaining an accurate model of a patient’s teeth is important, including orthodontics, fitting for a night guard, and diagnosing bite issues.
In the past, the best way to get this kind of information was to take a dental impression. Perhaps you’ve endured one of these before: the dentist fills a tray with gooey foam and shoves it into your mouth. Dental impressions work well enough, but they aren’t foolproof or 100% accurate. Mistakes happen, and not enough or too much of the substance can interfere with getting clear results.
Getting dental impressions isn’t the most pleasant experience, either. The feeling of the impression material oozing down your throat is just plain gross, and patients with a strong gag reflex may not be able to tolerate it at all.
Also, it takes time to get meaningful results with this method. At a minimum, you’re sitting around waiting for the impressions to cure. You may also have to send the impressions off to a lab with the equipment necessary to read them. This causes a delay and requires a follow-up visit.
With iTero, you get near-instant results, right in the office, and you can see a 3D model of your teeth and gums right on the iTero device. The noninvasive wand is easy for your dentist to use and easy for your mouth to tolerate. The ability to see the results of your scan right on the device’s large, high-definition screen is a great touch, too.
The power of iTero doesn’t stop with scanning and modeling. It’s also integrated with Invisalign, our favorite orthodontic alternative. With a quick in-office scan using iTero, we can calculate exactly what size and shape of Invisalign products you’ll need to achieve that perfect straight smile.
No more waiting on lab results from somewhere else or trusting someone’s calculations. iTero takes care of it all, almost instantly.
With iTero, you can have the ability to see the future in just five minutes. As mentioned earlier, our iTero machine is integrated with Invisalign technology. One of the drawbacks to Invisalign (or perhaps we should say one of the barriers to people choosing Invisalign) has historically been that patients aren’t convinced the outcome will be worth the investment and effort.
But now, with iTero, you can get a realistic rendering of what your teeth look like now compared with what they will look like after a full course of Invisalign treatment. This process takes just five minutes, and you can see what your future smile will look like!
The iTero experience isn’t just for Invisalign. There are a host of other situations where an accurate iTero scan beats a traditional impression. If you’re in need of a crown, bridge, implant, or even a retainer, a precise fit is essential. Over time, the tiniest error can develop into decay, leading to early replacement or further problems.
The iTero scanner delivers an impressively accurate and detailed model of your teeth and gums, far beyond what traditional impressions can offer. When accuracy matters, iTero is the clear winner. And accuracy does matter— it’s your mouth and your teeth, after all!
Could iTero help you as a part of your dental care plan? Schedule a visit today to find out just how easy this new dental technology is to use.
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