What Is an iTero Scan?
If you've ever had a tray of cold, setting putty held in your mouth, you'll understand why digital scanning has caught on. Here's what the scanner does, what it shows us, and what to expect when we use it.
What Is an iTero Scan at the Dentist in Edinburgh?
An iTero scan is a quick, digital 3D scan of your teeth and gums, taken with a small handheld wand instead of a tray of impression putty. At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh we use it for Invisalign, crowns, veneers and night guards, and at a free Invisalign consultation it can show a simulation of how your teeth could move.
What Is an iTero Scan?
An iTero scan is a digital 3D recording of your teeth and gums. Instead of filling a tray with impression material and holding it in your mouth while it sets, we pass a small handheld wand over your teeth. It captures thousands of images a second and stitches them together into an accurate 3D model, which appears on a screen beside you as we go.
At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, we use our iTero scanner for Invisalign, crowns, veneers and night guards, and to keep a record of your teeth over time. The scan is quick, involves no radiation and needs no preparation on your part.
It sits alongside the other technology at the practice, including our 3D cone beam CT scanner, which images the bone and roots in a way an intraoral scanner can't.
Why Does It Replace Putty Impressions?
For many years, the only way to record the shape of your teeth was a putty impression: a tray filled with soft material, pressed over the teeth and held still for a few minutes while it set. It works, but many people find it unpleasant, and it has practical drawbacks.
Comfort. Putty can trigger a gag reflex, makes breathing through the mouth difficult and leaves a taste behind. A scanner wand is about the width of a large electric toothbrush head, and you can breathe, swallow and pause whenever you need to.
Accuracy. A putty impression can distort as it's removed, or if bubbles or tears form, and it's often only discovered later when the model is made. A scan is checked on screen straight away, and any gaps can be filled in there and then.
Speed. If part of an impression fails, the whole thing has to be retaken. With a scan, we simply rescan the area.
Sharing. A digital scan can be sent to the dental laboratory or to Invisalign electronically, with no physical impression to post or risk damaging.
See Your Own Teeth in 3D
Book a free Invisalign consultation. We'll take a 3D scan, show you your teeth on screen and walk you through a simulation of how they could move.
What Does the Scan Show?
The finished scan is a full-colour 3D model of your teeth and gums that can be turned, enlarged and viewed from any angle. Many patients find it eye-opening. Seeing your own teeth enlarged on a screen often makes things clear in a way a mirror can't, for example:
- how your teeth meet when you bite together, including where the bite is uneven
- crowding and rotations, seen from angles you can't see yourself
- worn edges and chips, often from grinding or clenching
- gum line shape, including areas of recession
- staining and plaque, which the colour scan picks up
What it can't show is what's happening inside the teeth, below the gum or in the bone. Decay between teeth, root problems and bone levels still need a clinical examination and, where appropriate, X-rays or a CT scan.
How Does It Help Plan Invisalign?
This is where the scanner earns its keep. Once your teeth are scanned, it can produce an Invisalign outcome simulation: an on-screen preview of how your teeth could look after treatment, side by side with how they look now.
At a free Invisalign consultation with Dr Wardell, that means you can see a likely end point at the first visit, rather than imagining it. It helps answer the questions most people come in with: what would change, is it worth it, and roughly how long it might take.
A few honest caveats:
- The simulation is an estimate. It's produced by software and is a starting point for discussion, not the final treatment plan.
- The detailed plan comes later. If you go ahead, your full plan is prepared and checked against your X-rays and examination findings before any aligners are ordered.
- Results vary. How your teeth actually respond depends on biology and on how consistently you wear your aligners.
During treatment, we rescan to check progress and, where needed, to order refinement aligners. Refinements and Vivera retainers are included in Invisalign treatment at Comely Bank Dental.
What Else Is the Scanner Used For?
Beyond Invisalign, the same scan supports several everyday treatments:
- Crowns and onlays. After a tooth is prepared, a scan records its exact shape for the laboratory, which makes the crown to fit. A precise fit around the edges matters for how long a crown lasts.
- Veneers. Scans help plan the shape and proportions of new teeth, and record the prepared teeth for the laboratory. See our veneers page for more.
- Night guards and retainers. A night guard for grinding or clenching, or a retainer after orthodontic treatment, can be made from a scan.
- Implant restorations. Once an implant has healed, scanning can record its position for the crown that will sit on top.
- Monitoring wear. Scans taken a year or two apart can be compared, showing whether teeth are wearing down from grinding or acid, or whether the gums are receding.
That last use is easy to overlook. Changes that happen slowly are hard to judge by eye from one dental examination to the next. Comparing two scans gives us a clearer picture of what is changing, and how quickly.
What Happens at a Scanning Appointment?
Scanning is usually part of a longer appointment, such as an Invisalign consultation or a crown preparation, rather than a visit of its own.
Before the scan. We'll explain what we're scanning and why. Your teeth are dried gently with air, because moisture can affect the image.
During the scan. You sit back in the chair and the dentist moves the wand slowly over the top, inside and outside surfaces of your teeth, one jaw at a time. You'll feel the wand touching your teeth lightly and may notice the light it gives off. You then bite together for a few seconds so we can record your bite.
How long it takes. A full scan of both jaws typically takes a few minutes, though this varies.
After the scan. The model is on the screen straight away, and we'll talk you through what it shows.
Is It Suitable If You Gag Easily or Feel Nervous?
For many people, scanning is much easier than putty. There's no tray filling the mouth, nothing setting at the back of the throat, and you can stop for a break at any point and pick up exactly where we left off.
If you have a strong gag reflex, tell us beforehand. We can scan in short sections, start at the front where it's easier, and give you time to settle between areas.
If dental visits in general make you anxious, our page for nervous patients explains how we can help, from longer appointments to sedation for more involved treatment.
Is a 3D Scan Safe?
Yes. An intraoral scanner uses light, not X-rays, so there's no radiation. The wand tip is cleaned and disinfected between patients, in line with standard infection-control procedures.
It's worth being clear about what that means for X-rays. Because a scan doesn't see inside teeth or bone, it doesn't replace X-rays or a CT scan where those are needed. They answer different questions, and your dentist will only recommend X-rays when there's a clinical reason.
How Can You Have an iTero Scan in Edinburgh?
The easiest way to see the scanner in action is to book a free Invisalign consultation at our Comely Bank practice, near Stockbridge in north Edinburgh. You'll see your own teeth in 3D and, if aligners might suit you, a simulation of how they could move.
If you need a crown, veneers or a night guard, scanning is simply part of how we make them. There's no separate charge for the scan itself; it's included in the treatment fee, and every fee is confirmed in a written treatment plan before treatment starts.
New patients can book online or call us on 0131 332 3971.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.