This is the Cadent iTERO digital impression unit that is in Dr. Hair’s office.  If it looks like a really sleek, high tech computer, that is exactly what it is.

 

This is the camera.  It may look large, but looks can be deceiving.  After all, Dr. Hair is a pretty big boy, but he only puts his fingers in your mouth.

The part that is circled is a single-use, disposable plastic tip.  A new tip is used for each patient.

Only the very tip end of the disposable plastic tip actually goes in the mouth.  In the other pictures below, you can see the unit in use.

Dr. Hair will take several pictures of your teeth.  The computer actually “stitches” the images together to form a 3-demensional image.  When Dr. Hair is satisfied with the image, he simply emails the digital image to his lab, and they begin the process to fabricate your crowns immediately.  Think about it:  the impression arrives at the lab within minutes of the pictures being taken.  It is not like the old days of sterilizing the impression, packing it up, and sending it to the lab which could take days.

So would you rather take a few quick pictures, or wait for the gooey stuff to set up in your mouth?