Complete Denture Scanning Best Practices

Below, we've outlined complete denture scanning best practice techniques that will increase the likelihood of success for your case:

Appointment Set Up

• When patients book their appointments, remind them to bring all their appliances (partial denture or existing full denture). Existing appliances help to quickly establish bite and vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) when planning a digital denture case.

Room Set Up

• Have impression and border molding materials ready to use: 
  • When encountering a difficult-to-capture edentulous region such as a lower arch, a physical impression may be taken and scanned.
  • A light body wash is added to a denture or wax bite rim to ensure the most accurate impression
  • If the denture or wax bite rim does not have sufficient extension, border mold the appliance using heavy/medium body PVS impression material on the periphery of the appliance, seat it in the patient’s mouth, have them go through functional movements, and once it has set, follow standard impression steps. 

Scanner Prep

• Make sure to calibrate the scanner regularly to ensure accurate and smooth scanning.
• Practice 360 extraoral scanning with a spare denture before the patient arrives.

Wax Rim Prep

• Use an instrument to make markings on the posterior portion of the wax bite rim to create visual reference points by which the scanner can align images. (Also helps with bite alignment)
• Use scan spray to reduce the glossiness of the wax bite rim or denture prior to scanning (as needed.)

Patient Positioning

• Have the patient sit up for the impressions.
• Perform muscle relaxation drills prior to taking the impression.

Intraoral Scanning

• Keep the patient’s tissue as dry as possible.
• Slow and steady wins the race.
  • Review our recommended scan paths for each arch to establish a repeatable and consistent scan technique. 

Extraoral Scanning

• For extraoral scanning - avoid bright lights and, if needed, turn off the lights (including the Loupes light) to prevent glares and reflections on the denture.
  • The scanner has its own light and is designed to work in dark places (i.e., inside the mouth).
• Hold the denture or wax bite rim in your hand (rather than laying it on a flat surface.)