What is a Quality Crown and Bridge Scan

Kayla P

Updated July 10, 2026 19:13

The information provided in this article is intended for use by licensed dental and healthcare professionals only, for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical or dental advice or replace clinical judgment. The treating clinician bears sole responsibility for all diagnostic and therapeutic decisions made in connection with patient care.

This article defines Dandy quality scanning standards for crowns and bridges.

What is a Quality Scan

HD Scans
The Margin
Contacts
Clearance
Point of Insertion

HD Scans - in Chairside

When reviewing your scan before submission, please ensure that in the review step, the scans are being reviewed in HD. These are the scans the lab will use to create the restoration.

The Margin

A good margin is one that is clearly visible without surrounding tissue or cord covering it.

What is a good vs. bad scan of the margin?

Good: The finish line of the prepped surface is fully visible, and not touched by surrounding tissue.
- This is best seen in stone color.
Bad: Margin has no clear definition when viewed in stone
Bad: Tissue overlaps visible margin line
If you notice an area where tissue or retraction cord/paste is on that margin, trim and rescan that area on the prep scan step.
- When rescaning the margin, ensure there is no saliva, blood, tissue or cord covering the margin. Be sure to clean and dry the area thoroughly as well.
- Sometimes, if there is large amounts of blood, it may be best to allow the tissue some time to heal and bring the patient back in a few days for a final scan. Simply hit “save and close” in the top left corner of chairside until you are ready to rescan. Scans will be saved for 45 days. If scanning after that, you will need to rescan everything.

Contacts

Good contacts are crucial to ensure the restoration fits between adjacent teeth with little to no adjustments.

What is a good vs bad scan of contacts?

Good: contacts are fully captured, and do not have missing areas
Good: Adjacent contacts are smooth, without divots or burr slips.
Bad: Missing contact areas in scan
Bad: Adjacent contacts are bumpy, have undercuts, or have visible imperfections.
These areas can be hard to capture. Going in with the scanner vertically on the buccal and lingual areas, and slowly rolling it left to right, can help us capture the scan data we need.

Bite

A good bite is crucial to seating crowns with little to no occlusal adjustment.

What is a good vs. bad bite scan?

Good: Properly Aligned bite matches the patient's mouth

Good: Properly Aligned Bite shows accurate wear patterns

Bad: Bite does not reflect the patient's mouth

Bad: Bite scans show discrepancies on wear patterns

Prep

A good prep scan is crucial to restoring both a strong and esthetic restoration.

What is a good vs. Bad prep scan?

Good: Axial wall and Occlusal Clearance have enough space for material thickness

Good: Prep is free of sharp edges

Bad: Prepped wall does not accommodate material thickness for esthetic restoration

Bad: Prepped Occlusal does not accommodate material thickness for strength.

Path of Insertion

Good: From a single occlusal viewpoint, all margins are visible and are not covered by adjacent contact teeth.

Bad: A single unit crown has contacts overhanging the visible prepped margin

Bad: A bridge restoration shows prep abutments overhanging visible margins.

Ensure that, for single-unit cases, the margin does not fall into an undercut. If the margin is in an undercut when the case is submitted, it will result in the lab flagging the scans
For bridge cases, you want to be able to see all margins from the same point of view. If you do not, please adjust and rescan.
Use the “undercut” tool on the bottom toolbar to double-check once the margins have been traced.
- This tool is great at visualizing if the margin is in an undercut. Make sure to adjust the point of insertion and check all margins are completely green with no red.

Instructions for Use

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