iTero Digital Scanning in Darien

Technology

A digital impression system that captures a 3D model of your teeth without putty: faster, more accurate, and with nothing to gag on.

If a tray of setting putty held in your mouth is one of the things you dread about the dentist, this is the change that removes it entirely.

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iTero Element intraoral scanner at B&R Dentists in Darien, IL

What’s included

  • No goop or gag to worry about
  • Fast, accurate impression
  • Ideal for crowns, bridges, implants, and Invisalign® clear aligners and retainers
  • See a simulation of your potential Invisalign treatment outcome
  • Breathe, swallow and pause normally during the scan

We Are a Digital Impression Practice

We are proud owners of an iTero® Element™ Intraoral Scanner. The iTero Element Scanner is a state-of-the-art digital impression system that eliminates the need for messy putty in your mouth. With our iTero Element Scanner, we can digitally capture a detailed 3D model of your teeth and gums. Not only is this process far more comfortable than the old putty based impressions, but it's faster and can offer a superior clinical endpoint. During the impression process, you can breathe or swallow as you normally would. You can even pause during the process if you need to sneeze or just want to ask a question. The scanner gives us a 3D model of your mouth that can be used for your dental services including the Invisalign Outcome Simulator to show you what your new smile might look like.

When a Digital Scan Is Used

Any time we need an accurate model of your teeth. That includes crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays, where the fit at the margin determines how long the restoration lasts. Implant restorations, where the position has to be exact. Invisalign clear aligners and retainers, which are manufactured directly from the digital file. Night guards and sports guards. Records taken before orthodontic treatment, so movement can be compared against a starting point. And it is particularly worth asking for if you have a strong gag reflex, a small mouth, or if a previous impression had to be retaken: situations where conventional putty trays are genuinely unpleasant and often need repeating.

Benefits of Digital Impressions

Comfort is the benefit patients notice: nothing sets in your mouth, nothing needs to be held still for minutes, and you can breathe, swallow, pause and talk throughout. Accuracy is the benefit that matters clinically. A putty impression can distort as it sets or as it is removed, and small distortions become crowns that need adjusting or sending back. A digital scan is checked on screen before you get out of the chair, so if a margin was not captured cleanly we rescan that area immediately rather than discovering the problem two weeks later. The file goes to the laboratory electronically, removing shipping time. And because the model is a permanent digital record, it can be compared with future scans to track wear, recession and tooth movement over years.

What to Expect

A small wand is passed slowly over your teeth and gums, building the 3D model on a screen beside you as it goes. Nothing is inserted that has to stay there, nothing sets, and there is no taste. It typically takes a few minutes per arch. You can watch the model appear, which most people find more interesting than they expect, and it doubles as the clearest way to actually see your own teeth, including the surfaces you have never looked at. If you are considering Invisalign, we can run the Outcome Simulator from the same scan and show you a projection of the likely result side by side with how your teeth look now, before you commit to treatment.

Common Questions

Does the scan involve radiation?
No. The iTero uses optical scanning — light and a camera — to build the model. It is not an X-ray and there is no radiation involved.
What if I gag easily?
This is the single best reason to be pleased we use it. There is no tray, no material setting against your palate, and you can pause the scan at any moment to swallow, sneeze or take a break. It is the most common problem digital scanning solves.
How long does it take?
A few minutes per arch, often less. Conventional impressions require material to set in your mouth for several minutes per tray, plus retakes if anything distorts.
Can I see the scan?
Yes, and we encourage it. The model appears on a screen you can see while it is being built, and we can rotate and zoom it to show you exactly what we are looking at: a crack, a worn cusp, an area of recession. It is far easier to understand than an X-ray.
Is it used for Invisalign?
Yes. The aligners are manufactured from the digital file, and the same scan drives the Invisalign Outcome Simulator, which shows a projection of what your teeth could look like after treatment.

Terms You May Hear

Intraoral scanner
A handheld wand that photographs the teeth from many angles and assembles them into an accurate 3D model.
Digital impression
The 3D file that replaces a physical putty mould, sent electronically to the dental laboratory.
Outcome Simulator
Invisalign software that uses your scan to project how your teeth may look at the end of aligner treatment.

Related Services

Ready to Schedule Your Appointment?

Call (630) 427-1800, and if impressions have made you gag in the past, tell us. It is exactly the problem this solves.

Request an Appointment(630) 427-1800