5 stars for a great product and great service. After much research I knew I was set on the Medit 500. I considered some of my local equipment reps, as well as cad-ray. Cad-ray won out due to their efficiency, speed of service, and knowledge. Their on...read more5 stars for a great product and great service. After much research I knew I was set on the Medit 500. I considered some of my local equipment reps, as well as cad-ray. Cad-ray won out due to their efficiency, speed of service, and knowledge. Their online presence makes it easy to get help via messaging, social media, or phone. The fact that one of the employees of Medit (an engineer?) posts on the cad-Ray Facebook group speaks volumes of the vendor-mfg relations.
The scanner itself works great, but make sure to contact them to get the minimum specs required for a laptop — it will make a difference in how the scanner performs. I had some slow scans at first but upgraded from 8gb to 32gb ram and also got some coaching from customer service (Frank) to get me up to speed.
To make the scanner mobile, I purchased this cart from Staples: https://www.staples.com/Oklahoma-Sound-Premium-Audio-Visual-Presentation-Cart-40-1-2-H-x-18-W-x-30-D-Black-Ivory-Wood/product_932437.
Lastly, I purchased “3M Dual Lock Fastener” to keep the power module attached to the wand from falling off the cart. I carry the scanner between two offices, so I wanted something sturdy, but removable. (see in photos). The hockey puck shaped holder (comes with the scanner) is heavy and sticks to the countertop without needing any adhesive.read less - 10/12/2019
Shout out to Nick, Frank and Armen ! Cheers . Great customer service by Nick and Frank. Too early to make a comment about the scanner but these guys are awesome. - 9/19/2020
Tara Ericson
Very pleased with the EXCELLENT support we have received from Frank DeLuca! Loving our new Medit so far, definitely more user friendly than our previous one. - 6/02/2022
Gregory Camfield
These guys are 1st in class service every time! - 7/08/2022
Micah Bickel
Great support services and training from Cad-Ray, they are always very helpful and responsive. I have been using the I500 in my offices for the last two years and loving it. - 11/01/2021
only dental company that I have no complaints about - 11/03/2022
Artin Sakhaee
The support is even better then the camera itself. I used many other scanners and this is by far the best one. Recommended to many people. Looking to purchase a second one for my practice. The use and results are amazing. No adjustments to the p...read moreThe support is even better then the camera itself. I used many other scanners and this is by far the best one. Recommended to many people. Looking to purchase a second one for my practice. The use and results are amazing. No adjustments to the prosthetics at all.read less - 7/15/2020
Thuy Nguyen
CAD-Ray is amazing! Prompt replies, quick delivery, knowledgeable team! I had some cracks on my scanner that I read on their FB group may be a manufacturer's defect. My scanner was still covered under warranty. They overnighted a brand new one to me ...read moreCAD-Ray is amazing! Prompt replies, quick delivery, knowledgeable team! I had some cracks on my scanner that I read on their FB group may be a manufacturer's defect. My scanner was still covered under warranty. They overnighted a brand new one to me before I even knew they were going to replace it! That's how quick they are! Highly recommend them!!!read less - 12/23/2021
Buddy “BTay” Taylor
I600 - so far its great! - 8/23/2022
Chase Benson
New technology can be intimidating, but this i700 is user friendly and is everything you could ask for in regards to a great scanner. Cad-ray also made the transition easy and smooth. Customer support here is unreal. Telling all my dental buddies abo...read moreNew technology can be intimidating, but this i700 is user friendly and is everything you could ask for in regards to a great scanner. Cad-ray also made the transition easy and smooth. Customer support here is unreal. Telling all my dental buddies about these guys, and plan to make more purchases in the future.read less - 4/18/2022
Just got my Medit IOS delivered last week and the service from Jon was great! I had a ton of questions before placing the order and he happily answered. This is the type of customer support many dental suppliers are missing. Great company to work wit...read moreJust got my Medit IOS delivered last week and the service from Jon was great! I had a ton of questions before placing the order and he happily answered. This is the type of customer support many dental suppliers are missing. Great company to work with.read less - 6/23/2020
Melissa Poynter
Very pleased with Heather :) She has been able to solve any and all issues I may be having, and does so within the same day if not right away! - 6/16/2022
Brian Jaques
After weeks of research I purchased the i700 through Nick at cad-ray. My office has never used a scanner before and despite the great pricing, this was still a major purchase for me. Nick was incredibly helpful guiding me through the process while an...read moreAfter weeks of research I purchased the i700 through Nick at cad-ray. My office has never used a scanner before and despite the great pricing, this was still a major purchase for me. Nick was incredibly helpful guiding me through the process while answering my many questions. The customer service was very responsive and my friends who have purchased medit scanner were correct that this is the way to go. 5 Stars!read less - 5/08/2021
Suresh Goel
CAD-Ray is a great resource for all things digital. Knowledgeable team but also able to anticipate your needs and because they’ve done it so many times they seem to know what you need before you do! Definitely the first place to look for digital ha...read moreCAD-Ray is a great resource for all things digital. Knowledgeable team but also able to anticipate your needs and because they’ve done it so many times they seem to know what you need before you do! Definitely the first place to look for digital hardware and integration!read less - 6/16/2020
Christopher Chin
This was my intro into intraoral scanning and I did research for quite awhile. The i500 and the team at Cad Ray are top notch. The company has done such a great job putting this scanner in the ranks of the premier ones. With constant updates it gets...read moreThis was my intro into intraoral scanning and I did research for quite awhile. The i500 and the team at Cad Ray are top notch. The company has done such a great job putting this scanner in the ranks of the premier ones. With constant updates it gets better and better (though I’m still behind on updates). My crowns have never been better. They drop right in with no models. I didn’t believe it but I’m loving digital dentistry. I can’t wait to go to the class after COVID calms down!read less - 6/16/2020
I'm really grateful with the service CAD-Ray has provided! I'm also very happy with Laura's presentation with the Medit i700, and overall help in choosing the right scanner for my practice. I'm really happy with the scanner and the SprintRay Pro 95 P...read moreI'm really grateful with the service CAD-Ray has provided! I'm also very happy with Laura's presentation with the Medit i700, and overall help in choosing the right scanner for my practice. I'm really happy with the scanner and the SprintRay Pro 95 Printer as well. Thank you.read less - 8/31/2021
Medit i500 is an incredible scanner. I have experience with other types of scanners including IO and Desktop but this one is really impressive. It is blazing fast and takes beautiful scans. But more importantly is the company itself. Medit is an amaz...read moreMedit i500 is an incredible scanner. I have experience with other types of scanners including IO and Desktop but this one is really impressive. It is blazing fast and takes beautiful scans. But more importantly is the company itself. Medit is an amazing company and is constantly trying to improve. They are always on the cutting edge and releasing new improvements all the time. They are always LISTENING to the customers on how to improve the scanning experience and change accordingly. The customer service is second to none. I highly recommend this scanner but even more highly recommend considering buying the scanner as a result of the great company and PEOPLE that stand behind it.read less - 10/09/2019
Our office is new to using the Meditscan so far we love it. Our rep andy was so detailed and great with the training. Everything has been good so far and easy. Defenitely recommend. - 9/23/2022
Had a training session for use of my Medit scanner this afternoon, and Heather G. was simply the best.....knowledgeable, patient and a great trainer. She had a wealth of knowledge regarding my scanner and she was so very patient with my computer glit...read moreHad a training session for use of my Medit scanner this afternoon, and Heather G. was simply the best.....knowledgeable, patient and a great trainer. She had a wealth of knowledge regarding my scanner and she was so very patient with my computer glitches! CAD-Ray is number one in my book! Thanks Heather, your time was much appreciated! Dr. Steve Hollisterread less - 5/14/2025
Ernesto Carmona
When I decided to purchase a digital scanner I decided on user experience. They have provided the best experience I could have asked for, from online support, Facebook support, and in person courses. There is no better team to buy Medit from period...read moreWhen I decided to purchase a digital scanner I decided on user experience. They have provided the best experience I could have asked for, from online support, Facebook support, and in person courses. There is no better team to buy Medit from period. Do yourself a favor and buy from them if you are in the market for an intraoral scanner.read less - 6/16/2020
Marc Prince
We’ve been using the Medit i700 in our office for approximately a year now. It has been a game changer and hard to remember what it’s like without using the intra-oral scanner. The Cad-Ray support team has been remarkable as well! - 9/11/2022
Kip Covington
Customer support! I've had handfuls of scanners over the years and support has always been the biggest variable. We recently had a scanner bought through and implant company and received limited to no support. Through recommendations from several fri...read moreCustomer support! I've had handfuls of scanners over the years and support has always been the biggest variable. We recently had a scanner bought through and implant company and received limited to no support. Through recommendations from several friends, I purchased a second scanner through cad-ray and had them transfer over our support for the first. I wish I would have done this years ago. Destaney, has been incredible helping us troubleshoot a hardware issue that came up. It was on 3-shapes side but not only did she run it up the ladder there and get us back up and running quickly, but she promptly answered all questions and continuously checked in to make sure things were moving along. I won't purchase from anyone else going forward.read less - 8/14/2024
Archstone Weatherford
Medit i700 intraoral scanner is the first scanner that I actually used on my patients. Before I put my hands on it, I had some prejudices against all scanners. They were bulky, laggy in capturing the images, etc. When I finally had the chance to use ...read moreMedit i700 intraoral scanner is the first scanner that I actually used on my patients. Before I put my hands on it, I had some prejudices against all scanners. They were bulky, laggy in capturing the images, etc. When I finally had the chance to use an intraoral scanner and get introductory training with Laura from CAD-RAY a few weeks ago, I totally changed my view of this product. Very soon, I was able to scan crown, bridge, and even denture cases. Of course, I have had some knowledge about the digital scanner from CEs provided in the past, but being able to apply it in the daily practice in such a short time was beyond my expectations. I would highly recommend MEDIT i700 and training from CAD-RAY.
Big thanks to Laura!
-Lei Fu, D.D.S.read less - 9/12/2021
Can not say enough great things about Cad-Ray. Purchase an intraoral scanner from them and have had to have their support team help out a couple of times. They are top notch! I will be purchasing all of my tech they offer through them - 7/07/2022
Mark Geddes
Love my medit! Cad-ray has been awesome to work with and very educational in learning all things digital . Was doing a study club with 4 other dr's showing off the medit and the cerec dr who had just bought the newest kept saying, "mine doesn't do...read moreLove my medit! Cad-ray has been awesome to work with and very educational in learning all things digital . Was doing a study club with 4 other dr's showing off the medit and the cerec dr who had just bought the newest kept saying, "mine doesn't do that. No way! I wish mine could do that. For real? I paid 4 times as much."
Needless to say the medit is awesome.read less - 6/18/2020
I've been using this for almost 2 months now and I just love it. At this price point, ROI is a no-brainer. The convenience factor is amazing. I only did the DIY online training and I'm pretty confident doing the scan. I've signed up for the actual ...read moreI've been using this for almost 2 months now and I just love it. At this price point, ROI is a no-brainer. The convenience factor is amazing. I only did the DIY online training and I'm pretty confident doing the scan. I've signed up for the actual course so looking forward to seeing it's greater potentials.read less - 10/14/2019
A newcomer to scanning, I have been impressed with the ease of the process. The commitment shown by each CAD-Ray team member to successful customer training and their skill levelhave been extraordinary. Thank you Kaila, Frank and Andy!! - 5/15/2022
Keith Bracy
My rep Nick at Cad-ray was very helpful in my purchase of the Medit i700. So far, I love the scanner and have no regrets about my purchase. The setup and support from the company have been seamless as well and the purchase process with financing!
I ...read moreMy rep Nick at Cad-ray was very helpful in my purchase of the Medit i700. So far, I love the scanner and have no regrets about my purchase. The setup and support from the company have been seamless as well and the purchase process with financing!
I was considering the new itero as well and happy I got the Medit instead! The lightweight scanner as well as no monthly ongoing fees was what ultimately won me over, as well as the robust software.read less - 7/21/2021
Andy was wonderful with setting everything up and explaining everything. The Medit i700 has been great thus far, easy set up! The only "issue" is that it can be occasionally glitchy. - 1/11/2022
Fantastic folks. I'm an orthodontist and opened an office in 2020. They helped me find the perfect intraoral scanner to suit my needs. Not too much or too little, and a great price. Every time we have a technical question, a sharp human answers the p...read moreFantastic folks. I'm an orthodontist and opened an office in 2020. They helped me find the perfect intraoral scanner to suit my needs. Not too much or too little, and a great price. Every time we have a technical question, a sharp human answers the phone, troubleshoots, and remotes in when needed-- navigating MS updates and graphics card issues. My i500 died this week. They overnighted me a trade-in at a totally reasonable price, and even shipped me a laptop to drive the i600 while I got a new one (they knew my 2020 laptop wouldn't keep up!). CAD-Ray has consistently hit it out of the park.read less - 4/14/2025
Rodney Baier
Cad ray has been very nice to work with. Excellence service and support since I bought my Medit scanner - 6/16/2020
Thomas Lim
5 stars for a great product and great service. After much research I knew I was set on the Medit 500. I considered some of my local equipment reps, as well as cad-ray. Cad-ray won out due to their efficiency, speed of service, and knowledge. The...read more5 stars for a great product and great service. After much research I knew I was set on the Medit 500. I considered some of my local equipment reps, as well as cad-ray. Cad-ray won out due to their efficiency, speed of service, and knowledge. Their online presence makes it easy to get help via messaging, social media, or phone.
The scanner itself works great, but make sure to contact them to get the minimum specs required for a laptop -- it will make a difference in how the scanner performs.
To make the scanner mobile, I purchased this cart from Staples: https://www.staples.com/Oklahoma-Sound-Premium-Audio-Visual-Presentation-Cart-40-1-2-H-x-18-W-x-30-D-Black-Ivory-Wood/product_932437.
Lastly, I purchased "3M Dual Lock Fastener" to keep the power module attached to the wand from falling off the cart. I carry the scanner between two offices, so I wanted something sturdy, but removable. (see in photos). The hockey puck shaped holder (comes with the scanner) works great for holding the wand itself.read less - 10/10/2019
There’s nothing like a company with top notch support like Cadray! Frank DeLuca is one of THE most helpful, non- condescending people I’ve ever dealt with! He ALWAYS strives to make us the BEST we can be and almost immediately helps us with any quest...read moreThere’s nothing like a company with top notch support like Cadray! Frank DeLuca is one of THE most helpful, non- condescending people I’ve ever dealt with! He ALWAYS strives to make us the BEST we can be and almost immediately helps us with any questions or problems ( which are minimal with the i700!) HIGHLY recommend this company and their scanner!!read less - 10/06/2022
carlos Santos
I would like to let you know that Kaila Larson is excellent communicator, personable, professional and knowledgeableI have had the opportunity to talk to her 3 times and it has always been awesome.Regards,Dr Carlos santos - 4/08/2022
Dr Grace Simco
I bought I500 scanner two years ago. The scanner is great and the service is excellent. I have contacted Heather Gramley and Andy Nova about the updates of my scanner recently. They are absolutely amazing people. They go above and beyond. They repres...read moreI bought I500 scanner two years ago. The scanner is great and the service is excellent. I have contacted Heather Gramley and Andy Nova about the updates of my scanner recently. They are absolutely amazing people. They go above and beyond. They represent the company very well.read less - 7/05/2022
I ordered my Medit scanner from them in Feb 2020, so far no issues with support or the product. They are a great company with great support. Disclosure: they did promise me a scanner tip for this review, but in all honestly I was meaning to give it t...read moreI ordered my Medit scanner from them in Feb 2020, so far no issues with support or the product. They are a great company with great support. Disclosure: they did promise me a scanner tip for this review, but in all honestly I was meaning to give it to them anyway.... if you are looking to buy, this is a great way to go about it.read less - 7/19/2020
Laveen Smiles
CAD-Ray has the best customer service and support that you will ever receive from any dental company anywhere. I had an issue with a sintering oven I purchased from them. I needed immediate assistance, because I was in the middle of a case. The perso...read moreCAD-Ray has the best customer service and support that you will ever receive from any dental company anywhere. I had an issue with a sintering oven I purchased from them. I needed immediate assistance, because I was in the middle of a case. The person at CAD-RAY who had the knowledge to help me had just gotten into a car accident and was at the ER. Now most companies and people would have said “Sorry, we can’t help right now due to extenuating circumstances.” Not CAD-RAY! That person called me from the ER, in the middle of his personal problems, and gave me the needed information to solve my problem. Exceptional customer service and support is what you will get from CAD-RAY, and it won’t be for a limited time after your purchase. You won’t go wrong with a purchase from CAD-RAY.read less - 1/29/2023
Jim Ellis
I've only worked with this company for a short time but I have found them to be wonderful in every way. Call, emails, and texts are returned very quickly and the equipment that we have purchased works wonderfully. I would highly recommend. Dr Jim Ell...read moreI've only worked with this company for a short time but I have found them to be wonderful in every way. Call, emails, and texts are returned very quickly and the equipment that we have purchased works wonderfully. I would highly recommend. Dr Jim Ellisread less - 5/12/2020
Scott Chong
The i500 has been a game-changer for our orthodontic practice. Patients love not having to do alginate impressions. Records appointments and debands take much less time plus there's significantly less clean-up. And it's fast/easy enough to use tha...read moreThe i500 has been a game-changer for our orthodontic practice. Patients love not having to do alginate impressions. Records appointments and debands take much less time plus there's significantly less clean-up. And it's fast/easy enough to use that we've even been able to train summer interns to scans with zero prior dental experience. Our retainers, nightguards, and sleep apnea appliances all showed improved fit with less chair-side delivery time due to accuracy of the scans. Customer support is top-notch. Whenever we've had issues, we get someone immediately and they either talk us through a fix or login via screenshare to help us directly. They have a great loyalty program which gives significant discounts to upgrade to newer units. We recently took advantage and are excited to try out the new i700, especially since they're now Mac-compatible. Simple version: Great intra-oral scanner, easy to use/operate, intuitive software interface, fantastic support.read less - 8/16/2023
David Chong
Digital dentistry has changed my work flow for the better and could not imagine going back. So important that I have the support when things don't work as expected. CAD-Ray has been there every step and trust their expertise and knowledge! - 4/20/2022
vy pham
I have been a customer of CAD-Ray for about a year now. We have purchased multiple items from Laura, including exocad software, a milling machine, and the Imetric4d. I can’t express enough how happy we are that we made those purchases through them. T...read moreI have been a customer of CAD-Ray for about a year now. We have purchased multiple items from Laura, including exocad software, a milling machine, and the Imetric4d. I can’t express enough how happy we are that we made those purchases through them. The customer service and the fast responses, (especially Laura) has been top notch! At the beginning, just like anything else in dentistry, we needed support and reassurance of the items acquired and all I have to say is a big thank you for an amazing customer service and support!!!! And did I mention that they offer really good financial options? Again, thank you! Looking forward for the next purchase. - The Inspired Dental team in Las Vegas:)read less - 8/31/2021
Jason Ehtessabian
Fantastic! Scanner went down after a few years, and they had a new one in my office the next morning. Highly recommended. - 8/26/2021
Kent Lysgaard
This company has the best customer support I have ever experienced. I purchased the I700 Intraoral scanner and the transition from impression material to io scanner has been so easy because of Cad-Ray. I highly recommend them. The response to questi...read moreThis company has the best customer support I have ever experienced. I purchased the I700 Intraoral scanner and the transition from impression material to io scanner has been so easy because of Cad-Ray. I highly recommend them. The response to questions/issues is instantaneous even with a patient in the chair they have the capability to go online and help. Absolutely first rate.read less - 4/13/2022
David Paquette
Cad-Ray has been super-efficient and very easy to work with! Highly recommend them for Medit sales and support! - 11/09/2021
Love my Medit! Can’t beat the quality, and the price is even better! Also, great people who are always willing to help! - 6/16/2020
Todd Haskin
The medit is one of the best scanners on the market with the best price. Cad ray's support and training is phenomenal and they are very quick to respond. We work with Laura. Highly recommend. - 12/16/2021
Kurt Adamson
I was on the fence for a few years about getting into intra-oral scanning. I finally did it in the fall of 2019 and haven't looked back. I was hesitant mostly because I didn't want to spend a lot on $$$ on something that I don't end up implementing. ...read moreI was on the fence for a few years about getting into intra-oral scanning. I finally did it in the fall of 2019 and haven't looked back. I was hesitant mostly because I didn't want to spend a lot on $$$ on something that I don't end up implementing. I found that I love scanning, I feel like it has improved my quality of preps and my OCD of being able to verify accuracy. I recommend Cad-ray because they want you to succeed. They are always available. They have been through this process many times, they know what does and doesn't work. My experience is with the Medit i500 IOS.read less - 6/19/2020
Engy Hassan
Amazing customer service! Excellent on time feedback. Thank you Kaila - 12/08/2021
Spark Dental
Just had a new i700 scanner.Service so far is great.Andy did our training, he was great in answering all our questions .loving the scanner so far .? - 9/01/2022
Scanning long span edentulous is a very likely culprit with rendering dimensionally accurate models because to the software and camera, the geometric shapes are too identical across the ridge.
The more we can disrupt the symmetry with large, short, non-reflective and asymmetric scanbodies, the more likely we are to keep the models accurate. This video presentation address some of those issues and how to overcome them.
In this video we demonstrate for new and potential users of digital dentistry a implant restoration where the dynamic bite is captured. We initially imaged the upper and lower jaws with 2 bites. Then we captured the dynamic bite and the returned for the jaw scan with the scanbody. There are many ways to approach this but this sequence we have found to be easiest for new users to digest.
The scanbody was captured after the bite because it usually is taller than the adjacent teeth. There is a chance you may injure the patient if you don’t follow the proper sequence
Here is why the Medit i700 is the best intra-oral scanner on the market if you do any kind of implant restorations. There are so many options and tools that are leap years ahead of other scanners and their software. Medit can automatically identify the scanbody for you so you don’t have to do cartwheels and gymnastics to pick up all of the scanbody. This is in part 1 of the video.
For advanced users, we are sick of dealing with scanbodies and checking to make sure they are seated all the way and not binding on the tissue or bone, so we developed this technique of just scanning the fixture itself. It is not ideal just yet, but it will be the future, as the inside of the fixture is too shiny. i just used some old cerec spray to mask the topography for this demonstration.
oh, and really, no one else can show you how to milk that medit like cad-ray-dev2.developerpad.com can. we use it well beyond what it was intended for and frankly you are wasting your time and money with most others. contact Frank DeLuca, Frank Weinstein, Laura Geney, Nick Statly, Damien Bonner, Jonathan Acker in the US or Milos Gedosev, Mariangela Di Nato, Roddy MacLeod in Europe for more information
There is a lot of focus nowadays on the connection between the screw and the MUA and top clinicians are recognizing this to be the most vulnerable part of full arch prosthetics.
An issue to consider the space between the green and the blue arrows on the following photo and how some have designed solutions around the small area that is prone to chirping or breakage during milling or printing
“The powerball screw by Dr Jonathan Abenaim is one of a kind. Finally a screw designed to skip the tibase with the material in mind. It is rounded to provide gentle forces that are transferred to the body of the screw instead of the weak threads where the the screw is the weakest. It has the ability to be used in Zirkonia and pmma with no tibase. Its angle can be corrected up to 20 degrees. With our proprietary biaxial screw head the screw head is robust and cannot be stripped.”
here is a list of why the Medit Artificial Intelligent Implant Suprastructure Identification System is significantly more advantageous over all other cadcam systems.
It s technically a crown and bridge case and the implant location or timing does not matter
You can find margins outside the mouth! See the first video to appreciate the significance of this
You don’t have to deal with retraction or hemostatis at all
You don’t have to worry about sprue position. Many other systems force the placement of the sprue to a specific location often making the case more difficult to manage than necessary
you are not limited to just a few implant lines
you don’t have to worry about location of anti rotational notch
you can digitally alter the prep and get a virtual reduction coping in cad
Use any restorative block you want. There is no need to order special blocks with pre-fabricated access channels and keep a large inventory of many colors. Your regular block inventory will suffice. Just make sure the top of the tibase is wider than the diameter of the drill used to mill out the intaglio. Also, the CAM and the milling machine determine the exact product and different settings maybe utilized to give you relief off the walls. Some will even remove the antirotational notch because the adaptation is so tight, the restoration will not rotate due to the tall walls of the tibase
You can check the fit outside the mouth on the same tibase or a one you keep chairside for every case to let you know that if you are not seating, it is clearly a contact or contour issue as opposed to an intaglio issue.
I am not one to place much faith in published articles from academicians. I usually draw my information from trusted colleagues and also a very reliable source, Mr. Andrew Sedler, from Advanced Technology Centers in Burbank California. He is in charge of manufacturing thousands of full arch restorations for clinicians and many other labs that outsource their manufacturing.
One of the things I always get a kick out of is whenever they do purchase technology or implement a process, they always have to do it with redundancy. What that means is that their machines can never go down for whatever reason, so they always purchase printers and mills by multiple sets. Interestingly, I was witness to them incorporating printers into the lab about 6-7 years ago and now they have a large wing dedicated to printing with over 20 machines for many different purposes.
I trust his judgement and always follow his recommendation and tested methods. When he says “do not bypass verification jigs, no matter what scanner was used”, I don’t even question it. He sees all the cases many entities can’t manage and he can manufacture any screw, prosthetic, abutment, etc… with their high end milling machines. In fact, it was on his word alone we decided to distribute the ICam4d by imetric.
I thought it would be a good idea to revisit full arch implant restorations with him and see what the state of the industry is like today and what he would recommend for the end users and patients. A very good perspective for a clinician to keep is how a simple mistake or misunderstanding can wipe away all the profit margins for a lab and even for the clinician. A simple example is if you have to correct an angulation issue on an abutment which can dramatically impact the costs of the lab work.
Here is the Q/A session:
“Hi Andrew, I am writing an article on full arches and would appreciate some info”
what % of the full arches that docs order from you are zirconia on tibases only at implant sites?
what % are on titanium bars?
what % are hybrids with acrylic?
what % are MUA vs Implant level?
what is the most prescribed full arch prosthesis now compared to 5 -10 years ago?
what % are soft tissue level vs bone level / mua level?
what would you do for yourself?
which one has the most failure rate?
how often does zirc framework break?
how much damage do you think people do to zirconia frameworks while trying to mill it to sharp corners of tibases?
Answers:
MUA vs IMPLANT LEVEL : over 90% of upper arches will have MUA and 60 to 70 % of the lower arches will have MUA
BONE LEVEL vs TISSUE: majority of implants (90% and up) bone level that requires MUA .
The most failure rate in order is (all of these in respect to the material limitations ):
the traditional acrylic hybrid
composite hybrid next
zirconia monolithic
and the least breakage will be zirconia hybrid supported by metal frame
Zirconia failure is around 4 to 5 % (adding the internal lab remakes – i would say another 3 to 4 %)
The damage caused by adjusting the zirconia could be very considerable, especially around the access hole since those areas are thinner than the full teeth . For myself i would restore zirconia over metal frame if my choice is hybrid, while removable bar overdenture will be a more predictable and more hygienic choice .
If you place enough implants, you may find yourself in need of a prosthetic part that just isn’t manufactured by anyone. For example, you may have a hybrid case on Bicons and for some reason you wanted to restored them with Multi Unit Abutments (MUA) and photogrammetry, yet there are no parts manufactured for such an endeavor. The problem is complex because a manufacturer needs to mass produce these parts and get them past regulatory matters.
Some have found a simple solution, which is to have the parts custom made specifically for the implant. If they need the MUA part before the procedure, they just send a digital or physical model into a lab that can custom make the part. The lab itself needs a prescription form on the lab analog. Since it is custom made, you have direct input on how tall you want the height of the margin, how much you want to displace the tissue, how much would want the restorative head angled, etc..
Most people will order a variety of them to address any situation on the same model and keep it in stock. What’s important to realize is that from the restorative standpoint, all your CAD software needs to know is the location of your abutment margins. It doesn’t care where fixture is and how the timing is lined up in the arch form. As long as it knows where the margins are, you can proceed with the design of the prosthesis.
Contact Andrew Seddler to send a digital or physical model and an Rx to get your custom made MUA’s
Here are two very simple examples of clinical advantages of digital impressions over analog ones. You can edit or add to your models and you can work independent of time and sequence.
You can also know immediately if you have captured your margins correctly. Once you understand these concepts, there are dozens of ways you can apply these principles to make some of the most challenging clinical cases very easy to manage
distinct advantages of digital dentistry over analog dentistry
FIND OUT HOW RESTORING IMPLANTS CAN BE THE MOST PREDICTABLE PROCEDURE YOU CAN DO
For decades, placing and restoring implants was a very stressful and unpredictable procedure. Digital dentistry has reversed that trend, making it now the most predictable procedure you can perform. You can easily capture contacts, opposing dentition, and the location of the implant. More importantly, you can design the emergence profile to your liking.
SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO ADD A CONTACT TO A RESTORATION WITH AN OVEN
Emax restorations are milled in a pre-crystalized state (blue phase) as it is more gentle on the drills than the final crystallized form. A big advantage of emax lithium dissilicate material is that you can easily add contacts with addition powder in the same cycle as glazing. This reduces the stress of try-ins and allows you to recover without wasting precious time. Other materials on the other hand may require extensive oven times or a re-mill (or send the restoration back to the lab)
“Hi doc, I was not able to find this scan body in the automated system match. I tried to scan conventional but lab said it was not good. I am scanning strumann RC #3,4 implants. Using one scan body switching from one to another but I couldn’t get it right”
To date, the literature and research clearly points out that full arch scans with edentulous arches are prone to inaccuracies. That’s because we have never had a way to measure and verify models while scanning. There are two features unique to the Medit i500, namely the reliability map and the artificial intelligent implant suprastructure identification system. Individually, they do not provide much information with regards to accuracy, but if you understand how they work, you can utilize them to assess accuracy while you are scanning edentulous arches.
We proved the validity of this concept by utilizing these two features by incorporating a scan from the imetric Icam4D scanner and merging its data with the IOS to render a perfect match. Details are posted for our users in the Imaging Implants Section of our tutorial liabrary
Photogammetry has set the highest standard for full arch accuracy in digital dentistry for edentulous patients with multiple implant fixtures. An easy scan in under 15 seconds captures enough detail on scanbodies that help the software capture the location of the fixtures. Conversely, Intra-Oral Scanners (IOS) do not garner support for most of the literature that is currently published in dental journals. Scan paths can dictate the outcome of 3D model and determine how correctly it replicates the intra-oral condition. The same scan can render a variety of results and models based on the user and the direction the scans are taken. Simply stated, the user is control over the final product.
To use the ICam 4D scanner you must first calibrate the machine with a plate immediately prior to the intra-oral scan capture. There are specific reference points that the camera and software recognizes and after you capture about a dozen landmarks, you are ready for an intra-oral scan
After the camera is calibrated, the patient, or in this demonstration case, the model with Multi-Unit Abutment analogs is mounted with ICam Reference Bodies that are shaped like dominos. They can attach to the multiunit abutment or directly to the implant fixture (available soon in the USA).
The markers are captured by the device in the software with multiple identification marks, ideally 10 marks on each scan post. This data is then exported as an stl file that has all the locations of each cylinder preserved. This whole process just takes minutes. Most people just utilize this device for full arch impressions so they can bypass the verification jig for large cases. Here, we use it to assess the accuracy of the medit i500 ios to provide cross arch accuracy if doctors follow our protocols for imaging, which utilizes the reliability map as a guide for imaging. When then utilize the Artificial Intelligent Implant Suprastructure Identification Software to merge and evaluate the accuracy of the ios scan.
save the implant scanbody cyliners and their coordinates
There are a lot of ways one can introduce errors into a full arch scan with any ios, but the medit’s powerful features that include the reliability map and the AI tool separate it from all other scans that do not allow you to assess the accuracy of your scan while you are imaging. You can only do so with the fabrication of a verification jig
Dental implant surgery and restorations were the most risky procedures just 10 years ago. They were also the most profitable, but also carried the largest liability and the most significant surgical and restorative lab costs. A simple error introduced in the restorative process could easily eliminate the profit margin and a more significant mishap can create an undesirable outcome
We have seen dramatic changes in implant surgery where both the cost of the surgical stent and the fixture placement have reduced to the point where fully guided surgery is now the norm as they speed up the surgery and normalize the accuracy of placement across a broad range of practitioners with varying levels of experience. We are now seeing the same type of effect on the restorative side of the implant treatment, where digital dentistry is greatly reducing costs and errors.
With permission from blueskybio.com, we captured some key elements with analog impressions to highlight potential errors that can be introduced. The full video can be seen here:
The common sources of errors that someone can introduce are:
The inherent nature of impression material that can distort during the impression step
The angulation of the impression abutment may prevent it from seating all the way or may bind on the adjacent teeth making it difficult to capture an accurate impression
The size of the impression abutment can usually block access to the contours of the adjacent teeth where the pvs material does not capture the detail needed to generate good contacts and emergence profiles
Not securing the implant analog with the abutment in the impression material so that it does not distort or vibrate out of its position while pouring stone into the PVS material
With multiple implant, the problems can compound exponentially if the implants do not draw well together with complications ranging from locking the tray in the patient’s mouth accidentally or distorting the impression material enough when removing it where you decrease the accuracy. Some practitioners prefer to do this in multiple steps, correcting angulation and collisions with custom abutments and several impressions
Fortunately, in this impression of 3 implants that were placed with a guided, the impression abutments are parallel to each other but just a few degrees in either direction, you can have multiple collisions of the abutments with the adjacent teeth or in between the abutment themselves. What a scanbody does is it allows for the optical scan of a geometric shape that helps CAD software identify the exact location of an implant fixture, its timing, and its relationship to the arch form.
It has significant advantages as there is no distortion of the impression material. Moreover, you can capture all the detail of the adjacent teeth before you place the scanbody in the mouth. This dramatically reduces the errors and adjustments you will need to make during the seat appointment.
This video shows you the contour or the shape of a specific scanbdoy. There are many manufacturers that produce the scanbodies for a variety of fixtures with different geometries. Ideally, you use a titanium based one so that you can take an x-ray to make sure it is seated all the way. A frequent cause for error with digital impression is that you bind on tissue of bone which block you form seating all the way.
Once you have scanned the pertinent information, you can then take the digital models to CAD software where the location of the fixture is identified digitally and you can design the restoration of your choice. This can be titanium abutment or a tibase that retrofits ceramic material like emax or zirconia. The following video demonstrates how you identify the scanbody in exocad and proceed with a sample design.
Once the design is completed, you can outsource the fabrication of the abutment and/or the crown. There are many machines that you can use to fabricate the titanium abutment. Please note that the milling machines do not mill the connection. The connection to the implant comes pre-manufactured. The cylindrical block is milled to shape. The cad software also maintains the relationship of the abutment to the crown so that they retrofit to each other.
Now imagine if you had multiple implants that did not draw together? What’s great about digital dentistry and how we use the Medit i500 here is how we utilize a single scanbody to capture the location of 3 fixtures. One thing we emphasize at CAD-Ray is how digital impression allow you to create models over time and out of sequence. They are also editable and additive. In the subsequent video we demonstrate how you can capture segments at a time, which can greatly help when you have implant abutments colliding into each other.
You can place the scanbdoy in one location, scan it, digitally protect the area, remove the scanbody, place it into another location and image it at the new location, dramatically overcoming all the obstacles described above
Now for the greatest news and the largest advancement in digital dentistry in a decade! Medit i500 has launched the Artificial Intelligent Implant Identification System where the software automatically recognizes these scanbody and lets you skip dozens of steps to get to the immediate design steps of the restoration. The algorithm utilized to match the digital scanbody to the physical one is proprietary to Medit and is unparalleled in its accuracy. A lot of the guess work and inherent errors in the digital platforms are reduced with this software which is a contrasting as the difference between analog and digital impressions.
Using Medit’s Artificial Intelligent Implant Suprastructure Identification System to assess the accuracy of a cross arch digital impression! long title but it had to be to do it justice. For a primer, we highly recommend that you watch all of our videos on imaging fundamentals
here we put all the pieces of a puzzle together to answer how you can capture full arch impressions for implants accurately (or inaccurately). As the user, you are completely responsible for not introducing errors or capturing the data correctly
The Medit i500 has features that help you not only capture implant suprastructures, where you can bypass the scanbodies all together which impedes capturing the bite correctly for a lot of people, but you can identify their location and margins, even if they are hampered by bleeding. Most importantly you can use them as landmarks to accurately capture very accurate full arch impressions.
Medit’s reliability map, implant suprastructure identification system, and matching histogram colors can help you drastically reduce or eliminate steps and errors in full arch digital implantology
Using Medit’s Artificial Intelligent Implant Suprastructure Identification System to assess the accuracy of a cross arch digital impression! long title but it had to be to do it justice
here we put all the pieces of a puzzle together to answer how you can capture full arch impressions for implants accurately (or inaccurately). As the user, you are completely responsible for not introducing errors or capturing the data correctly
The Medit i500 has features that help you not only capture implant suprastructures, where you can bypass the scanbodies all together which impedes capturing the bite correctly for a lot of people, but you can identify their location and margins, even if they are hampered by bleeding. Most importantly you can use them as landmarks to accurately capture very accurate full arch impressions.
Medit’s reliability map, implant suprastructure identification system, and matching histogram colors can help you drastically reduce or eliminate steps and errors in full arch digital implantology
Posted by Armen Mirzayan on Wednesday, September 25, 2019
We are very pleased with millbox and the imes icore coritec one for a chairside milling solution. We’ve been testing it for a long time and its CAM (millbox) is very intuitive and the results are always predictable. It can mill titanium abutments, emax, and zirconia blocks.
The following videos illustrate how you can image a scanbody intra-orally and then design it in cad software. Here we used exocad to identify the biomax RP implant and designed both the custom titanium abutment and the suprastructure, both of which were milled with the CORiTEC ONE
There are so many implant and component libraries in cad/cam dentistry which can lead to a lot of confusion. What we highly recommend is that you visually compare the part numbers that you will be using with the part numbers displayed on the millbox software. One letter or number difference and the mistakes will have a profound impact on the bottom line of a dental practice
Please, take a seat, you should not be standing while you watch this.
Artificial intelligence by Medit i500 now identifies the location of your scanbody but it also automatically launches all that proper information into CAD software for instant abutment designs. Make sure to watch both videos. Enjoy.
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