Prosthetic quality control: The 4 Anti-redoing points that unite clinic and laboratory
Years go by, everything evolves, but the fundamentals remain the same. If analog impression trays required precision and stable materials, the era of intraoral scanners and supporting Artificial Intelligence requires a new example, as we know (we also discussed this in our last article, you can find it here!): data-impression tray consistency. We all dream of an optimized optical impression tray workflow, but let’s face it: how many times has the lab (or CAD/CAM software) asked you to retake the impression or had to make adjustments to your prosthetics due to imperfect images? Very often, the fault isn’t with the scanner, but what happens before scanning.
We’ve outlined the four main points of impression tray and scanning quality control to avoid errors and obtain useful images (and, most importantly, data).
Ultimately, the time you save by avoiding redoing a job is one of the best investments you can make (and let’s face it, redoing the preparation is always a hassle, both for you and the patient!).
1. The logistics point: efficient setup
Haste is the enemy of perfection, especially when it comes to perfect impressions for scanning. The first critical point is standardizing impression tray materials and accessories: a disorganized clinical environment leads to contamination and, above all, to wasting precious minutes searching for tweezers, retractors, or mixing tips.
The secret to efficient impression tray setup? No, it’s not buying faster machines, but making each set of tools predictable. Every component needed for the finishing and scanning phase must be within reach. Imagine how much easier it would be if the essential instruments for an exam or a small filling were already grouped together, ensuring sterility and speed without having to search for them in drawers or assemble them at the last minute.
This approach reduces the risk of cross-contamination and speeds up environment preparation.
2. The Clinical Point: Extreme Soft Tissue Managementgestione dei tessuti molli
If a dental technician were to write a protest poster, the first point would be: “We want clear margins!” The main obstacle to digital impression trays accuracy is not hardware, but tissue interference.
Soft tissue management during scanning requires special attention. We must expose the margin clearly and stably. Whether you use wire, paste, or laser, stability is everything. But preparation of the temporary restoration is also crucial. Any residual temporary cement or adhesive smear can create “noise” in the optical data.
To eliminate the risk of optical field contamination, it is essential to prepare temporary or adhesive materials on a clean, isolated surface, ensuring that only purified material reaches the tooth. A dedicated mixing pad is not just hygiene, it guarantees optical cleanliness.
3. The Control Point: Validating the Optical Impression
The scan is finished. You’ve pressed “stop.” Now what? Many colleagues make the mistake of sending the file immediately. The optical impression validation phase, however, must become an internal protocol to be rigorously followed.
Ask yourself: was the software able to reconstruct the 360° margins? Are there gaps in the data? Are there saliva or moisture residues that have generated artifacts? The true quality control of the impression is immediate verification.
And traceability must not be overlooked: are the reusable instruments used for the finishing and positioning phase the right ones and are they sterilized?
A colour-coded, autoclave-safe identification system allows each set of reusable instruments to be assigned and tracked. This creates a cross-check log: was the set correct? Yes, it is colour-coded.
4. The interdisciplinary point: anti-remaking collaboration
Prosthetic remakes are never just a clinical problem, but the result of failed communication along the supply chain. We believe dentist-dental technician collaboration must always be proactive.
The dental technician is our primary partner in quality control. Share not only the file with them, but also a photo of the clinical field before scanning. Show them how you handled the tissues. When the dental practice adopts systems that guarantee maximum sterility and precision in the basic setup (disposable kits for digital dentistry), the dental technicians know that the data they receive comes from a controlled and standardized environment. This mutual trust reduces guesswork and increases the likelihood of first-time success. Implementing these standardized impression material and field control protocols becomes a guarantee and synonymous with efficiency. It’s not about revolutionizing the dental practice with new machinery and tools, but about refining good habits and the best ways of working.
Impression Accuracy Is Not a Coincidence
True accuracy in digital impression taking doesn’t depend on the resolution of the scanner, the power of the software, or the latest hardware model. It’s the result of dedication to environmental preparation. Only through rigorous impression quality control and the adoption of tools that facilitate standardization can we transform the digital workflow from a challenge to a competitive advantage.
Is your practice ready to eliminate “do-it-yourself”
and adopt impression quality control?
Below are some useful products that can make this part of your work easier.
FAQ: The 5 most frequently asked questions about impression tray quality control
Q1: What is the main cause of digital impression redoing?
A: In most cases, it’s not a scanner issue, but suboptimal environmental preparation. The most common issues are poor soft tissue management during scanning (gums covering the margin) or contamination of the field by fluids, blood, or residual temporary cement.
Q2: Does standardizing materials really improve accuracy?
A: Absolutely. Standardizing impression materials ensures consistency in the process. When using pre-assembled disposable digital dentistry holders or kits, variability in accessory composition is eliminated and waste is reduced, supporting efficient impression setup and reducing the risk of contamination that alters the optical data.
Q3: What is meant by “optical impression validation”?
A: Optical impression validation is the post-scan control process. This means enlarging the 3D model and visually verifying that all margins are clean, that there are no bubbles or holes in the data, and that the occlusion has been recorded correctly, before sending the file to the dental technician.
Q4: How can I improve communication with my dental technician?
A: Start a proactive dentist-dental technician collaboration process for impression trays. Share clinical photos (preparation, temporary in dental practice) in addition to the STL file. If you use impression setup efficiency systems that guarantee instrument traceability, please mention this. The dental technician will have greater confidence in the quality of the initial data.
Q5: Is it true that disposables are less environmentally friendly than reusables?
A: Not necessarily. When calculating the environmental and cost impact, the energy and water expenditure for sterilization (reprocessing) must also be considered. The strategic use of disposable digital dentistry kits for basic procedures can lighten the load on the sterilization dept. and reduce the use of chemicals and water, leading to an optical impression workflow that is both economically and environmentally optimized.