10 Common Mistakes in Digital Impressions & How to Avoid Them
As a dentist, you want the best for your patients, whether they’re in for a routine cleaning and checkup or major work like removing a tooth or root canal therapy. You need accurate digital impressions if you want the best dental work for your patients.
A crown impression or a full-mouth impression for teeth, even small mistakes, can cause big problems. Inaccurate digital impressions mean poor fits, remakes, added costs, and wasted time. This translates into unhappy patients, which can harm your practice in the long run.
That’s why knowing the biggest digital impression mistakes and how to avoid them makes all the difference. Let’s walk you through them.
Mistake #1: Not Prepping the Teeth Correctly
The most common reason for bad digital dental impressions is poor prep work. Your scan won’t capture the fine details if the teeth aren’t cleaned, dried, or isolated properly. Saliva, blood, or plaque can mess up the margins and cause distorted images. The final crown or restoration won’t fit right if you miss the margins.
How to fix it:
Always dry and isolate the area before using your intraoral scanner. Use cotton rolls, retractors, and good suction. Take your time cleaning the surface. The clearer the prep, the cleaner the scan.
Mistake #2: Skipping Soft Tissue Management
Swollen or overgrown gums can get in the way of digital impressions. The scanner needs a clean, clear view of the margins. If you don’t manage the tissue, the scanner will inaccurately guess where the edge is, and that’s not what you want when making a crown impression.
How to fix it:
Use retraction cords, pastes, or lasers to move the tissue away gently. Get full visibility of the margins before scanning. This step saves you from major headaches later.
Mistake #3: Moving the Scanner Too Fast
Rushing your scan is also one of the most common digital impression mistakes. If you move too fast, you miss key details. The system might stitch the images wrong, causing blurry or distorted models, which will affect your dental work.
How to fix it:
Slow down. Glide the intraoral scanner in smooth, overlapping passes. Follow the scanner’s guidelines on speed and distance to get the best results.
Mistake #4: Not Capturing Enough Data
Whether it’s a dental implant or a crown, you need enough data to provide your patients with the right dental work. That means you shouldn’t be focusing on the prepped tooth alone. To design a proper restoration, labs need to see neighboring teeth and the bite relationship.
How to fix it:
Scan beyond the prepped tooth. Get at least two teeth on each side. Always scan the opposing arch too. Don’t forget a clean bite scan so the lab can line everything up correctly.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Calibration and Software Updates
Your intraoral scanner, no matter how good, needs tuning. If you skip calibrations or software updates, you risk gathering bad data without even knowing it. An outdated or uncalibrated scanner can throw off margins, angles, and occlusion details.
How to fix it:
Calibrate your dental scanner as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, and update your software as often as possible. These small steps protect your work and keep your dental scanning sharp.
Mistake #6: Bad Scanning Strategy
Going in random directions or jumping between areas while scanning creates errors. Your intraoral scanner stitches images together based on the path you take. If the path is messy, the final model will be messy too.
How to fix it:
Follow a systematic scanning pattern. Most brands recommend starting from the occlusal and moving to the lingual and buccal sides. Find a comfortable flow and stick to it every time.
Mistake #7: Not Reviewing the Scan Immediately
Many dentists scan, hit submit, and move on. That’s risky. Small errors, like a bubble, missing margin, or stitching flaw, can lead to a bad fit or costly remakes. This could reflect negatively on your dental practice.
How to fix it:
Review the scan right after taking it. Rotate, zoom in, and check critical areas like margins and contact points. If you spot a flaw, rescan just that section. Catching issues early saves time and money.
Mistake #8: Poor Training and Staff Errors
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the tech; it’s the operator. If your team isn’t trained properly, you’ll get bad scans even with the best intraoral scanner.
How to fix it:
Invest in solid training, just like you would invest in a solid intraoral scanner. Practice scanning different types of cases. Bring in reps or attend workshops to master your system. The better your team gets at digital dental impressions, the smoother your results will be.
Mistake #9: Forgetting About Patient Comfort
Many people (including children) have dental anxiety, and stressed or uncomfortable patients can move, gag, or even refuse to scan altogether. That makes it harder to capture accurate impressions for teeth.
How to fix it:
Explain the scanning process clearly, and work quickly but gently. Offer breaks if needed, especially if you’re treating children. A calm, relaxed patient leads to better, cleaner dental scanning.
Mistake #10: Not Matching Materials and Indications
Different dental restorations need different scanning approaches. Crowns, veneers, implants, they all have specific needs. Failure to adjust your technique based on the dental work can lead to inaccurate digital impressions.
How to fix it:
Understand the clinical indication before scanning. Know what the lab needs for a crown impression versus an implant abutment. Adjust your scanning steps based on the final plan.
Final Thoughts
Technology like the intraoral scanner is a game-changer, but the tech is only as good as how you use it. Avoid these common digital impression mistakes, slow down when scanning, double-check your work, train your staff, and see how your results can improve over time.
Taking these steps will help your practice thrive because every time you take a digital impression, you’re not just scanning teeth; you’re building trust with your patient.
As a dentist, you want the best for your patients, whether they’re in for a routine cleaning and checkup or major work like removing a tooth or root canal therapy. You need accurate digital impressions if you want the best dental work for your patients.
A crown impression or a full-mouth impression for teeth, even small mistakes, can cause big problems. Inaccurate digital impressions mean poor fits, remakes, added costs, and wasted time. This translates into unhappy patients, which can harm your practice in the long run.
That’s why knowing the biggest digital impression mistakes and how to avoid them makes all the difference. Let’s walk you through them.
Mistake #1: Not Prepping the Teeth Correctly
The most common reason for bad digital dental impressions is poor prep work. Your scan won’t capture the fine details if the teeth aren’t cleaned, dried, or isolated properly. Saliva, blood, or plaque can mess up the margins and cause distorted images. The final crown or restoration won’t fit right if you miss the margins.
How to fix it:
Always dry and isolate the area before using your intraoral scanner. Use cotton rolls, retractors, and good suction. Take your time cleaning the surface. The clearer the prep, the cleaner the scan.
Mistake #2: Skipping Soft Tissue Management
Swollen or overgrown gums can get in the way of digital impressions. The scanner needs a clean, clear view of the margins. If you don’t manage the tissue, the scanner will inaccurately guess where the edge is, and that’s not what you want when making a crown impression.
How to fix it:
Use retraction cords, pastes, or lasers to move the tissue away gently. Get full visibility of the margins before scanning. This step saves you from major headaches later.
Mistake #3: Moving the Scanner Too Fast
Rushing your scan is also one of the most common digital impression mistakes. If you move too fast, you miss key details. The system might stitch the images wrong, causing blurry or distorted models, which will affect your dental work.
How to fix it:
Slow down. Glide the intraoral scanner in smooth, overlapping passes. Follow the scanner’s guidelines on speed and distance to get the best results.
Mistake #4: Not Capturing Enough Data
Whether it’s a dental implant or a crown, you need enough data to provide your patients with the right dental work. That means you shouldn’t be focusing on the prepped tooth alone. To design a proper restoration, labs need to see neighboring teeth and the bite relationship.
How to fix it:
Scan beyond the prepped tooth. Get at least two teeth on each side. Always scan the opposing arch too. Don’t forget a clean bite scan so the lab can line everything up correctly.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Calibration and Software Updates
Your intraoral scanner, no matter how good, needs tuning. If you skip calibrations or software updates, you risk gathering bad data without even knowing it. An outdated or uncalibrated scanner can throw off margins, angles, and occlusion details.
How to fix it:
Calibrate your dental scanner as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, and update your software as often as possible. These small steps protect your work and keep your dental scanning sharp.
Mistake #6: Bad Scanning Strategy
Going in random directions or jumping between areas while scanning creates errors. Your intraoral scanner stitches images together based on the path you take. If the path is messy, the final model will be messy too.
How to fix it:
Follow a systematic scanning pattern. Most brands recommend starting from the occlusal and moving to the lingual and buccal sides. Find a comfortable flow and stick to it every time.
Mistake #7: Not Reviewing the Scan Immediately
Many dentists scan, hit submit, and move on. That’s risky. Small errors, like a bubble, missing margin, or stitching flaw, can lead to a bad fit or costly remakes. This could reflect negatively on your dental practice.
How to fix it:
Review the scan right after taking it. Rotate, zoom in, and check critical areas like margins and contact points. If you spot a flaw, rescan just that section. Catching issues early saves time and money.
Mistake #8: Poor Training and Staff Errors
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the tech; it’s the operator. If your team isn’t trained properly, you’ll get bad scans even with the best intraoral scanner.
How to fix it:
Invest in solid training, just like you would invest in a solid intraoral scanner. Practice scanning different types of cases. Bring in reps or attend workshops to master your system. The better your team gets at digital dental impressions, the smoother your results will be.
Mistake #9: Forgetting About Patient Comfort
Many people (including children) have dental anxiety, and stressed or uncomfortable patients can move, gag, or even refuse to scan altogether. That makes it harder to capture accurate impressions for teeth.
How to fix it:
Explain the scanning process clearly, and work quickly but gently. Offer breaks if needed, especially if you’re treating children. A calm, relaxed patient leads to better, cleaner dental scanning.
Mistake #10: Not Matching Materials and Indications
Different dental restorations need different scanning approaches. Crowns, veneers, implants, they all have specific needs. Failure to adjust your technique based on the dental work can lead to inaccurate digital impressions.
How to fix it:
Understand the clinical indication before scanning. Know what the lab needs for a crown impression versus an implant abutment. Adjust your scanning steps based on the final plan.
Final Thoughts
Technology like the intraoral scanner is a game-changer, but the tech is only as good as how you use it. Avoid these common digital impression mistakes, slow down when scanning, double-check your work, train your staff, and see how your results can improve over time.
Taking these steps will help your practice thrive because every time you take a digital impression, you’re not just scanning teeth; you’re building trust with your patient.
