20.01.2026
Impressions without impression material
The classic impression is one of the least popular parts of dental treatment: a tray full of viscous material, several minutes of holding still, and for sensitive patients a gag reflex.
With a digital impression a small camera passes over the teeth instead and assembles a three-dimensional model from what it sees. The data set goes straight to the laboratory or to the printer.
The benefit is not only comfort: the scan can be repeated in places without starting again, there is no distortion as material sets, and intermediate steps by post are no longer needed. In implant restorations, where tenths of a millimetre matter, that is a real advantage.
Source: Overview of digital procedures in dentistry (in German)