True Definition™ Scanner Customer Resource Center

Can you predict the fit rate based on your scan? Your lab can.

You should always be in close contact with your lab, but communication is most critical in the first few weeks of your transition to digital dentistry. If you haven't already, make sure you talk with your lab about your recent scans. Ask for feedback. They'll tell you what they need to do their job effectively. And that's the best way to ensure the success of your scans and a great fit right from the start.

If you need help troubleshooting your scan paths, or if your lab has questions about the digital files, call our Technical Service Team at 844.856.1231.

As the saying goes: measure twice, cut once. Double-checking your prep and scans now can help you save time in the long run.

Use the Prep Check tool to assess your tooth preparation. Make sure there are no voids or holes, and that you can clearly see a well-defined margin. This step is also necessary prior to filling out your electronic prescription. For additional tips, watch the Inspection and Preparation video.

Did you know? If you use the Incognito™ Appliance System, you can use the Prep Check tool for scan acceptance. View the scanned arches in high definition and check that no voids or holes remain.

Don't forget to check the clearance. Once you have performed the upper/lower arch scans and bite registration scans, use the Occlusal Clearance tool. Check that you've adequately reduced the tooth preparation to ensure proper clearance for the restoration.

With any digital scanning system, it's necessary to apply a pattern to the tooth so the scanner can trace its contours. The scanning spray used with the Midmark True Definition Scanner is critical to the success of your scans.

A light coating of scanning spray is all you need. It's like the secret ingredient in your favorite recipe: you only need a little, but it makes all the difference. By properly dusting all tooth surfaces, you can help ensure full capture of all necessary tooth characteristics and gingival tissues.

How does it work? Unlike the moving target of a laser-projected pattern, the High-Resolution Scanning Spray fixes the pattern on the tooth—similar to the technology used in Hollywood for motion capture special effects.

To see how this technology compares to laser scanning, download the flyer.

Application tips for the Midmark High Resolution Scanning Spray:

• Apply the scanning spray like you would use hair spray. Press the trigger down ¼ of the way, holding the tip of the sprayer about 1 inch from the surfaces to be scanned.

• Apply the spray in a circular motion for even application on tooth surfaces and gingival tissues.

• Remember to turn the tip of the sprayer when applying to the opposing arch or to lingual or buccal surfaces.

• Apply a light dusting of spray to allow for a clean capture without obstructing the prepped margin.

Preview Mode is a safeguard to protect you from scanning in less than optimal conditions. Use this tool to assess your operative field before scanning to make sure your margins are visible. Remember, if you can't see your margins in Preview Mode, the scanner won't be able to see them either.

• Check the view: The margins can be obscured by moisture contamination, too much scanning spray, or a cord popping out of the sulcus. If your operative field has been compromised, fix it before taking the scan.

• Check the prep: The ideal tooth preparation designs are chamfers or shoulders with well-defined margins. Avoid feathered or beveled designs—they're hard for any scanner to capture.

For additional tips on inspection and preparation, watch the training video.

Don't retrace your steps by rescanning what you've already captured. Over-scanning just adds time, not detail. Instead, focus on filling in any voids and holes until your scan is complete. The more comfortable you are with the Midmark True Definition Scanner and with your scan paths, the faster you'll get.

Use the orange Depth Indicator and blue Rotation Indicator as visual cues to guide you through the scan path. Ideally, you want to fill the dotted circle with the orange Depth Indicator. This means you're scanning at optimal depth.

To capture the necessary angles of each tooth, make sure the blue Rotation Indicator rotates fully to 90º (to the 3 or 9 o'clock position) on both the lingual and facial surfaces.

Pause Mode is an important feature that helps capture accurate images and protects your scanned data. You can easily recover from Pause Mode by returning to the most recently scanned occlusal surface. But how can you avoid pausing in the first place?

• Clear the fog: If your patient is a mouth breather, they could be creating a lot of fog on the lens. Use low volume suction in the corner of their mouth.

• Check the clarity: Clip a moistened 2x2 gauze to the patient's bib for easy cleaning of the lens.

• Bring it into focus: Think of scanning like using a camera. Everything needs to be still and within range. Don't move the wand too fast, don't scan a moving object, and make sure the tooth surface isn't too close—or too far away.

When taking a bite scan, hold the wand horizontally and move it straight up and straight down, capturing 2-3 mm of gingival tissue on the upper and lower arches. Remember, less is best!

• Posterior (right or left): Line up the wand lens parallel to the buccal surface in the first molar area and adjacent to the occlusal bite plane.

• Anterior: Line up the wand lens parallel to the facial surface in the incisal bite plane.

When taking bite registration scans, be sure to keep the patient's chin tucked so the arches are parallel with the floor. Most patients try to assist by lifting their chin, this angle can interfere with a proper scanning technique. When the patient's chin is up, the clinician ends up using the wand like a windshield wiper—and that can cause foreshortened images. For an accurate and efficient scan, always hold the wand horizontally and lift straight up, straight down.

The bite registration scan is used to articulate the upper and lower arches. It is not meant to add any anatomical information. If you happen to capture new information, you'll see an error message asking you to add overlapping coverage to the respective arch. If you want, you can go back to the arch scan and add the overlapping data. But the easiest and quickest solution is to delete the bite registration and retake the scan within the parameters of the existing scanned arches—making sure not to add any new information. For additional tips, watch our scan path training videos: