The customer service has been top notch, every single time. I have only good things to say about them. - 4/05/2022
larry bybee
We have been using an intra-oral scanner (not a medit) in our practice for 4 years and it was decided that we needed to purchase another scanner due to practice growth. After a thorough review we decided on the Medit i700. Due to the great team at Me...read moreWe have been using an intra-oral scanner (not a medit) in our practice for 4 years and it was decided that we needed to purchase another scanner due to practice growth. After a thorough review we decided on the Medit i700. Due to the great team at Medit I have learned more about scanning 1 week than i received from the other company in 4 years. i700 great price, great scanner and amazing customer service.read less - 12/23/2021
Mehryar Ebrahimi
Great costumer service. I needed a part for my i700 and they were able to ship overnight. No down time. - 5/06/2022
Daniel Hwang
Fantastic scanner and best company to buy from. They make sure you are happy with your product. Armen, Frank, and team are the best. High recommendations for CADRAY and the i500. - 7/18/2020
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 - 6/19/2020
Alderman Dental
Frank DeLuca from CAD-Ray has been absolutely awesome from day one. Readily available and very knowledgeable to provide support when needed. - 1/25/2023
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
Steven Oshins
I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Frank DeLuca this past year. He is always pleasant, willing to help, responsive to my questions and extremely knowledgeable. I highly recommend Frank!! - 12/16/2021
LoAn Huynh
Erika is one of a kind! She truly is patient with me. She has gone above and beyond to help me every time I call her. We have a few locations and she is always prompt in her responses and always manages to find a solution for me. I wish every rep was...read moreErika is one of a kind! She truly is patient with me. She has gone above and beyond to help me every time I call her. We have a few locations and she is always prompt in her responses and always manages to find a solution for me. I wish every rep was reachable ALL THE TIME and helpful! Thank you Erika! ❤️read less - 6/04/2025
Matt St George
I had 3 Cerec machines and switched to medit. It’s awesome and do not regret the switch one bit. This is the place to buy it bc Armen and Frank are a wealth of knowledge and Frank is awesome with support. He’s always there whenever I need him! - 10/10/2019
I have had my Medit i700 scanner for about 2 months now and have completed 67 restorative cases with it. Scans have generally been pretty quick, and the accuracy seems to be superior to the iTero I used. My first scanner ended up dying after a few ...read moreI have had my Medit i700 scanner for about 2 months now and have completed 67 restorative cases with it. Scans have generally been pretty quick, and the accuracy seems to be superior to the iTero I used. My first scanner ended up dying after a few weeks. Medit and cad-ray were great- they sent a new scanner within the week and haven't had any problems since. Customer service has been spot on. Overall I have been very satisfied.read less - 6/30/2021
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
JCarlos Mendoza
Had a good experience when purchasing my scanner, it was very easy, and to date after three months of using the scanner no support is a plus, anytime I call me I will answer and troubleshoot - 7/10/2022
Matt Stratman
only dental company that I have no complaints about - 11/03/2022
Emerson Gower
Nothing but great things to say about Cad-Ray! Excellent customer support from Laura after the purchase of our Medit i500 and the cart from Damien. I’ve been very impressed with the Medit in restoring crown and bridge, as well as fixed hybrids, and...read moreNothing but great things to say about Cad-Ray! Excellent customer support from Laura after the purchase of our Medit i500 and the cart from Damien. I’ve been very impressed with the Medit in restoring crown and bridge, as well as fixed hybrids, and learning more of its capabilities each day. We have intentions to buy a second Medit shortly and will definitely be using Cad-ray again.read less - 12/13/2021
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
Michael White
Everyone I have dealt with during the process of buying my new N4 VHF mill (which by the way is fantastic) last year to buying a new iMedit 500 scanner. Having the open type system has been a God send. No more held hostage by the 2 main systems us ...read moreEveryone I have dealt with during the process of buying my new N4 VHF mill (which by the way is fantastic) last year to buying a new iMedit 500 scanner. Having the open type system has been a God send. No more held hostage by the 2 main systems us same day crown dentists have had to deal with for years. Cad-ray made the financing a snap and the post customer support is unbelievable. Thank you everyone at Cad-Rayread less - 5/12/2020
Charlyn Quiec
Fast response. Customer service eager to help and very friendly. :) - 3/21/2023
Thomas Lim
Just updating my post to show my cart setup. Hope it can help for someone :) - 10/12/2019
This company is genuinely amazing. Amazingly good products, but the thing that sets them apart is the support. Frank and Sean have answered any questions I have unbelievably fast. And I LOVE the DOF Craft 5x milling unit. Learning the flow of same da...read moreThis company is genuinely amazing. Amazingly good products, but the thing that sets them apart is the support. Frank and Sean have answered any questions I have unbelievably fast. And I LOVE the DOF Craft 5x milling unit. Learning the flow of same day milling was tricky for me, but they held my hand the whole way. Can’t go wrong here.read less - 1/06/2024
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
Roger Wilson
CAD-Ray provides the best support around. I started scanning with Medit i500 in 2018 and my dental practice immediately changed for the better.As a rookie, I had a lot of questions and I calledCAD-Ray a lot in the beginning. They were great!Jonathan...read moreCAD-Ray provides the best support around. I started scanning with Medit i500 in 2018 and my dental practice immediately changed for the better.As a rookie, I had a lot of questions and I calledCAD-Ray a lot in the beginning. They were great!Jonathan Acker helped me get set up. Frank Weinstein answered tons of questions. Laura Geney became an important source of information as I moved into scan bodies, AI library, and had hardware questions. I’ve attended classes in Dallas featuring Armen Mirzayan who is incredibly knowledgeable and will tell you the good, bad, and the ugly about digital workflow. The possibilities are endless with scanning technology. I also want to mention Nick Statly who has visited my Dallas office and is a wealth of information. I have to admit that I frequently view the CAD-Ray User Group Face Book page just to pick up a few pearls here and there.I highly recommend CAD-Ray because their support is by far the best in the IOS industry and because their people honestly care about the customer and are truly committed to your success.read less - 12/23/2021
Gary Benson
Our orthodontic office is new to scanning and printing, but CAD-Ray, Laura, Medit, and SprintRay have made the whole transition a huge win. Our first scan and print was cleaner than any traditional impression/pour up we've ever produced. On our first...read moreOur orthodontic office is new to scanning and printing, but CAD-Ray, Laura, Medit, and SprintRay have made the whole transition a huge win. Our first scan and print was cleaner than any traditional impression/pour up we've ever produced. On our first full clinic day, we scanned 14 arches and managed to stay on schedule! We were waiting for this technology to be affordable, fast, accurate, and reliable, and we can now say we are there. Thanks for all your help and ongoing support.read less - 6/25/2021
I do not know if it is okay to use the F word on this page. But I F@#KING LOVE MY MEDIT with the new filters now.
Scan the teeth with the middle filter, then go to the first 1 and get the palate in less than 1 minute. AMAZING
I have since s...read moreI do not know if it is okay to use the F word on this page. But I F@#KING LOVE MY MEDIT with the new filters now.
Scan the teeth with the middle filter, then go to the first 1 and get the palate in less than 1 minute. AMAZING
I have since sold my ITERO and JUST HATE my OMNICAM EVERYDAY.read less - 3/01/2020
These guys are great. Always available and helpful. My scanning issues were dealt with quickly and courteously. - 10/01/2021
Cary Ganz
One of the best companies I've dealt with in decades of dental practice. Not only is the product excellent but the support both personally and online has been just wonderful. - 8/08/2021
W Timothy Brooks
Excellent fast color scanner. A great improvement over my old proprietary scanner. Easy to learn software and great free technical support. - 6/18/2020
STOP SEARCHING NOW!
Best bang for your buck scanner on the market. we have been using out medit for 8 months now. love our crowns, margins are fantastic. almost no adjustments needed at all. maybe one in ten crowns might have to adjust mesial or...read moreSTOP SEARCHING NOW!
Best bang for your buck scanner on the market. we have been using out medit for 8 months now. love our crowns, margins are fantastic. almost no adjustments needed at all. maybe one in ten crowns might have to adjust mesial or distal to get crown to drop in. occlusion is always spot on. patients love the technology and WOW factor -"SOOO COOOLLL." customer service is great also! dont waste your money on anythign else. our lab even comments on how easy it is to deal with medit and how good the scans are. they recommend it to their other doctors now as well.read less - 10/09/2019
I had a great experience with CAD RAY. I was lucky enough to have Frank DeLuca come down to my office to demo the Medit I700. Needless to say, we were in love with the technology and the great hands on demo. CAD RAY overnighted me the scanner and we ...read moreI had a great experience with CAD RAY. I was lucky enough to have Frank DeLuca come down to my office to demo the Medit I700. Needless to say, we were in love with the technology and the great hands on demo. CAD RAY overnighted me the scanner and we were off to the races. Any time we have had a technical question, Frank has personal helped me or put me in touch with one of his colleagues if he wasn’t available. All around, it was as 5 star experience!read less - 12/16/2021
Aaron Olson
This product is the best out there. Do the math and your ROI makes more sense than most products we purchase as dentists. Get on the digital train or you’ll be left behind. This is the best product to make the jump with. - 6/16/2020
I love my medit scanner. I purchase many dental equipments each year and by far it’s the best thing I got for the bucks I spent ( beating my 6 digits equipments ).
We have omnicam and I hated it, multiple crushes, expensive monthly service fee, hor...read moreI love my medit scanner. I purchase many dental equipments each year and by far it’s the best thing I got for the bucks I spent ( beating my 6 digits equipments ).
We have omnicam and I hated it, multiple crushes, expensive monthly service fee, horrible support, etc. I was so frustrated and had to look for an alternative. Many mentioned itero to me and I was about to purchase it and suck another monthly fee until I came by Armen’s video about medit on one of the Facebook group in 2018. I was surprised with the image and the speed and started digging more and contacted Frank to explain the scanner more. Ended purchasing it late 2018 and I’m a happy user Since after. The support is excellent, Frank is there when you need any help plus the Facebook community is there to answer anything. Recently, I attended Armen’s course to learn how to mill from the medit and I got shocked by the AI and the options that the software has. This machine is a beast and you won’t regret it getting it from Armen and Frank. They go beyond and not like other salesman or equipments where you are left behind after they sale you and finish their training. We are in 2020 and I still get the same support as I bought it in 2018.read less - 1/09/2020
I love my medit i-500. Cad-Ray has wonderful customer support, I can not imagine getting a scanner from anyone else. Armen and Frank are great! Thanks again. Will recommend cad-ray to all my friends. - 6/16/2020
Dr. Howard Lassin
Great 1st lesson with Ryan on the Mediti700. We are ready to scan:) - 12/30/2022
Penelope Lee
Frank and his team have always been ready and able to help us with any issue we’ve come across in the last 2 years since we purchased our mill and equipment from them. Today, Griffen went above and beyond to find a solution to our software issue. I w...read moreFrank and his team have always been ready and able to help us with any issue we’ve come across in the last 2 years since we purchased our mill and equipment from them. Today, Griffen went above and beyond to find a solution to our software issue. I was able to finish a project on time for a patient in pain because of his dedication. “We’ve never had a more helpful team for any of our equipment” was a quote from our head Doctor today. Excellent job Griffen and team!read less - 5/14/2025
Island Dental Lab
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
Al Villalobos
Great scanner at a good price...Excellent customer service . I never want to take a conventional impression again! Best upgrade to my office in years. - 11/16/2021
Page Barden
I have just recently purchased the Medit i700, and although it is "on its way" I have to comment on the support that I have already received, especially from Nick. He walked me through the benefits and features of the scanner and the transaction was...read moreI have just recently purchased the Medit i700, and although it is "on its way" I have to comment on the support that I have already received, especially from Nick. He walked me through the benefits and features of the scanner and the transaction was extremely easy. I can only think that the rest of the onboarding will be the same and in six months I will revisit this site and be extremely grateful I made the purchase.read less - 12/09/2021
Great scanner easy to use with the software. Definitely recommend the i700 scanner. Great customer service from Laura. - 12/09/2021
John Eum
Love all the staff there. Great support and instruction from Armen, Laura, Damien. We are very grateful for Kaila who has been incredible in getting us going - very friendly, professional and responsive. Thank you! - 7/03/2024
Yen Tran
Jonathan and Nick have been a great tremendous help. They went out of their ways to help me upgrade my Medit i500 even though I didn’t purchase my Medit i500 scanner from them. They are the largest Medit scanner distributor and they have the custome...read moreJonathan and Nick have been a great tremendous help. They went out of their ways to help me upgrade my Medit i500 even though I didn’t purchase my Medit i500 scanner from them. They are the largest Medit scanner distributor and they have the customers’ interest at heart. They are super responsive to phone calls, emails, and Facebook messages. I highly recommend their servicesread less - 9/01/2021
Samuel Schmidt
I purchased a SprintRay through them. I'm new to the 3D printer realm and they've been great with answering my questions and getting me set up. I've just really have been impressed with the quick responses, its much appreciated, thank you! - 4/20/2022
Jorge Gonzalez
Armen is a dentist and knows what a dentist need, on other words cad ray sells technology that works for dentists! - 6/16/2020
Gunther Heyder
Fantastic Scanner. Has changed the way I practice dentistry. Opens up more time in my schedule and opens up new methods to allow for more consistent, satisfactory results. Customer service is fantastic. Feels like friends are on the other side of the...read moreFantastic Scanner. Has changed the way I practice dentistry. Opens up more time in my schedule and opens up new methods to allow for more consistent, satisfactory results. Customer service is fantastic. Feels like friends are on the other side of the phone. Good work CAD-Ray!read less - 12/08/2021
Frank Gibbons
I just bought my first Intra-oral scanner (Medit I-700). I have demoed scanners from various companies in the past but have been less then thrilled with the applications, scanner ability, ease of use and overall user experience. I feel that now the...read moreI just bought my first Intra-oral scanner (Medit I-700). I have demoed scanners from various companies in the past but have been less then thrilled with the applications, scanner ability, ease of use and overall user experience. I feel that now the technology has caught up to where it should be and after reviewing many scanners on the market have decided to go with Medit. The Medit i-700 gives me all the functionality I could want, has an affordable price and works for all the procedures I need it for (scanning for ortho, dentures, partials, crowns, bridges, implants ect.). I love that they continually update their software and most importantly that those upgrades are free to the end users. Another huge plus is that when I have a question I get actually get someone on the phone!! For all these reasons I finally jumped in. I would recommend anyone else to do so as well!read less - 5/06/2021
Preston Poole
Great company with even better customer service. Premier dental business with digital dentistry and scanners! - 11/03/2022
Trident Dental
Great help when you need it. Frank, Armen and team will take care of you. - 12/10/2021
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
Kelly Betts
Customer service has always been top-notch! I personally worked with Wayne Glassoff and he has been super helpful getting our office up and running with 3D printing and has always been a great resource and highly responsive whenever I need anything o...read moreCustomer service has always been top-notch! I personally worked with Wayne Glassoff and he has been super helpful getting our office up and running with 3D printing and has always been a great resource and highly responsive whenever I need anything or have any questions.read less - 9/24/2022
David Forrest
I have used a medit scanner i purchased from CAD-Ray for a few years now. I've had nothing but great customer service with them, and their facebook group is great for nearly instant feed back before the days end. I actually just bought another scanne...read moreI have used a medit scanner i purchased from CAD-Ray for a few years now. I've had nothing but great customer service with them, and their facebook group is great for nearly instant feed back before the days end. I actually just bought another scanner from them because they've been awesome to work with and have enjoyed the first one so much. I'm def a long term fan of theirs now.read less - 2/20/2024
Amber Thomas
Andy was very patient and informative during our Medit Training. He made sure that we understood exactly what we needed to know in order to be successful during scans. Since our training we've moved full steam ahead in completing scans for lab fabric...read moreAndy was very patient and informative during our Medit Training. He made sure that we understood exactly what we needed to know in order to be successful during scans. Since our training we've moved full steam ahead in completing scans for lab fabrications of crowns, bridges, and Invisalign. Thanks so much!!!read less - 4/05/2022
This recent publication in the Journal or the American Heart Association details the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. It is a comprehensive study evaluating the success rate of possible treatment modalities, including oral appliance therapy.
A recent study published in the Journal of Advanced Prosthodotics compared many Intra-oral scanners and used the Medit desktop scanner as the reference frame and benchmark for accuracy. Unfortunately the Medit Intra-Oral Scanner was not commercially available at the time of the study.
Our position at CAD-Ray is that any scanner can be accurate and inaccurate based on how it is utilized. Furthermore, once you capture accurate data, by the time you design a restoration and send it to production, the printing or milling machine has no idea where the scan came from and generally can produce restorations to the level of accuracy the resolution the scanners provide.
Keep in mind, there are dozens of ways an operator can introduce errors in imaging.
Download the OBJ files and import them into smile design software and do a virtual wax up for a real case
This patient has had crown lengthening procedure performed on all the teeth in her smile line, greatly increased the tooth structure visible in this video. Her chief complaint was a gummy smile and now she is ready to “fill in the buccal corridor”
Here are fundamental principles every dentist should understand about intra-oral scanners, how we can introduce errors, how to manage them, follow proper scan strategies, maintain accuracy across the arch and lots of other nuggets
Every ios hates moving parts (tongue and cheek) Every ios hates dark areas like the oropharynx, black triangles, etc… Every ios hates liquids (blood on the margins) Every ios can “get off track” and form double images Every ios struggles with highly reflective surfaces like emax, zirconia, and shinny metal.
The principles shown in the video address every one of these factors and how you can control them and get accurate arch scans in just a minute with the medit i500
I have tried virtually every ios out there and they all struggle with my mouth full of emax. the focal length of the medit from -1.5 mm to 17 mm is the largest variation on the market, and the way the medit handles highly reflective surfaces also outperforms every other ios.
In January, it will be in turbo boost mode when new software is released.
Full arch scan, metal abutment, ceramics, lots of reflective surfaces all captured in under 90 seconds with no powder. just have to hit the metal at different angles and focal lengths, retract the lips and tongue and dry and you will fly with your ios
A repetitive theme that is a common issue with all intra-oral scanners is the inadvertant capture of data that does not belong to the model you are building. The software and camera are smart enough to ignore the tongue and the lip, but if they show up repeatedly in an area you are scanning, they ultimately get incorporated in the equation.
In this image, you can see how the tongue is capture on the occlusal surface of the second molar. The trouble is that the ios does not recognize the difference between soft tissue and hard tissue (yet) and once it is part of the model and you go back to the area you want to scan, the software is actually looking for that (now) displaced data. Since it is not present, the camera cannot initiate the capture of new data and the user gets frustrated with the red box instead of the green box.
Retract the lips and the tongue and you can easily capture an arch in 60 seconds.
This is a first molar crown that was replaced with an in-office milled eMax restoration. The adjacent second molar had recurrent decay under the existing class 2 restoration. That was removed and replaced and pre-existing crown was also removed.
The preparation was refined and the recurrent decay was removed. Once hemostasis was achieved and the tissue was retracted the area was scanned with the medit i500. The crown was designed to full contour and milled chairside. After it was chrystalized, it was bonded into place with Nx3 resin cement. The excess was removed and an immediate post-op bitewing was taken to verify that no excess cement was left behind.
Pre-Op
This video shows the design of a crown after the impression was taken where vivid colors of the retraction cord, the sulcus, the preparation, and the details of the adjacent tooth can be visualized.
[videopress 25yUA1tp permalink=”false” hd=”true”]
Immediate Post-Op
Download the case files in OBJ Format
It i sometimes confusing to some doctors when looking at bitewings shot at specific angles that make the margin look like it has filled in with resin, or the the margin is “raised” with composite material. When looking at a sloping margin, where you have a deep chamfer or finish line, instead of a shoulder margin, when you take a bitewing immediate post-op X-ray, the flow of the margin line is superimposed on itself due to the two dimensional image.
Clinically, if you look at the margin design, you will appreciate the anatomy of the prep and how that can lead to this effect.
This is a lesson in chairside efficiency for all CAD/CAM users. Traditionally, you would be forced to prep two teeth and impress them both at same time, but with digital dentistry, you can break the case up and do it in segments, as if they are two separate patients involved.
In this particular case, the restorations were designed, milled, and seated in a single appointment. To speed things along, only the second premolar was addressed; it was prepared, imaged, designed and milled. While milling, the second molar was prepared.
After the tryin, they were chrystalized and seated at the same time. Leveraging preparation time with mill time of multiple units can greatly increase efficiency at chairside. See the following videos to pick up on all the details of the case.
One of the greatest advantages of digital impressions is the ability to copy a pre-existing condition. This has a lot of benefits, one of which is that the patient will not notice a difference in the new restoration vs. the old one. For this to happen with the medit i500, you need an extra image catalog box. Rumor is that this will be available in the near future. Since we only have the upper and lower jaws, and the buccal bite to imagine into (and scanbody catalog boxes), what you can simply do is treat the case as if they are two separate patients.
Create a new patient, and scan the preop condition and save the case. Once processed, you can export the case file in OBJ, PLY, or STL format.
You can then launch a second case, where you take the opposing, the prepared arch, and the buccal bite images. You can download the Korolation OBJ case files and design along. Just remember, in exocad, the upper and lower arches from “patient #2″ will automatically articulate with each other, but you will have to manual import the preop scan and merge the prepped model and the pre-op models.
[videopress RkqfM9CJ permalink=”false” hd=”true”]
Once you import in the pre-op condition, you can manually relate the models to each other by identifying common landmarks between the two models. After you perform alignment, you can then click on “Best fit matching”. The color scheme in exocad is a great guide in letting you know how well you have articulated the models together.
[videopress U5aJCxQ3]
The more blue you see in the Korolated models, the more reliable your stitch is and you can be assured of greater accuracy in your final restoration.
Happy Hump Day! We might be in your area! It’s going to be a crazy month! Here’s the 411! WE ARE SHOWING THE WORLD HOW MUCH WE LOVE DIGITAL DENTISTRY! C2 will be traveling to Utah this weekend for a show on Saturday….
North Carolina & South Carolina Sunday & Monday!
Send us a PM if would like a demo! #mediti500 #c2style #welovedigitaldentistry
Grady Dix Armen Mirzayan Frank Weinstein Carol BarberLamb
This a very common question we get at CAD-Ray.com and it reflects on how little dentists understand about digital impressions and CAD/CAM in general.
“Digital Ready”
It reminds me of a dental conference I want to, fresh out of school, placing orders for our start-up practice. As we went to the X-Ray equipment section, one of the first things the representative said to us was that their machines are “Digital Ready”! We all had good laugh explaining to the rep that the machine had nothing to do with digital X-Rays, the sensors did!
We feel the same way with digital impressions and CAD/CAM platforms when people talk about integration and making sure one “product talks to the another ” and how it all needs to be developed by the same single manufacturer. It’s loaded with a lot of inaccuracies and misrepresentations.
The reality is that every system has its flaws and can have just as much trouble talking to a machine manufactured by the same company! As dentists, we are much smarter with our decision processes now, but it is still a buyer-be-ware landscape.
Here are some basics you should appreciate before committing to a high ticket item. It’s imperative to understand that imaging has little to no impact on milling. These are completely independent processes- let us explain:
You can image (take an intra-oral scan) with system A. Then you can take the data from system A and take it to CAD software of system B. A lot can go wrong here at this step alone. Simple examples include;
The patient name doesn’t come along with the data.
Incorrect data may come across with incorrect information- you can have the occlusal relationship look perfect in system A but when it goes to CAD, the bite can be off.
You mark your margins in A, but they are distorted in cad software. So you have to make sure this works.
Keep in mind that this can even happen if you stay within a “System A” or “complete system”. Luckily a lot of this is ironed out already with legacy and legitimate products and competent practitioners. Now comes the design step. You have a few choices; exocad and 3shape being the leaders. If exocad does the margin placement and the final restoration from start to finish, a lot of errors are eliminated.
After the design process, comes the nesting and manufacturing. At this step, the milling machine has NO idea what iOS you have used. It’s just data for a restoration that it needs to process. Ar this most vulnerable step, we need to make sure the CAM software for a particular machine can interpret the design software that did the nesting. A lot happens here;
Then comes the consideration for your milling needs.
You can mill soft ceramics for 15,000$
For a little more, you can wet mill emax
Cross the 30k barrier with and you can cut zirconia (we do NOT recommend in office zirconia- dumbest thing you can do)
Closer to 40k and you can do in house metal custom abutments.
Over 40k you can mill roundhouse bridges and you are as much a labtech as a dentist.
The trickiest part of all this is the last step. Making sure the mill has the right cam to talk to design software. This can be a nightmare if you don’t do your homework.
So, with the Medit iOS you can mill to any machine. You can even take it to cerec inlab software and Jump through a lot of hoops to mill with CEREC chair side milling machine. Not worth the headache!
The CEREC chairside mill remains the fastest carver of emax restorations, but it can come at a cost – you need to bulk out the margins so they don’t break off at mill.
It was a long struggle to find margins with the Omnicam and after 4 years it was sold. The margin definition and resolution never reached an acceptable level. After seeing margins from high resolution scans by the Medit and defining them in exocad, it completely validated that we shouldn’t settle for anything less than the highest standard. This is an scan performed on a upper second molar with tough access, replacing a failing crown.
This article demonstrate how a case be set up while the patient is being anesthetized. While waiting for it to take effect, your team can scan the opposing arch, the arch to be prepared, and even the buccal bite. You can see how that is set up in first video. Notice how we crop out the tooth to be prepared so that the software doesn’t get confused between the preop and prep stages.
[videopress ZvGLVAM6 permalink=”false” hd=”true”]
Once the tooth is prepared, the premolar is imaged back into the arch form in high resolution mode. This mode comes in handy for picking up the enamel that is exposed at the cavosurface margins. Some intra-oral imaging systems struggle with picking up the detail in these situations.
You can see how clearly discernible the margins are in this preview. Feel free to download the case data at the end of the article. Please note that areas that are not critical for the restoration design were essentially ignore as they play no significant role in the desired outcome.
To see this case presented in webinar fashion click on the image and enter the members area for much greater detail and information
Pre-existing restorations that warranted replacement with an increase in vertical dimension.
Pre-existing restorations that warranted replacement with an increase in vertical dimension. The upper and lower arch were captured with the medit I500 and articulated together with enough clearance to accommodate new restorations and to restore the patient to an ideal tooth position.
This video shows how the vertical dimension was captured with cotton rolls blocking out the tongue and the dark oro-pharynx, which usually spell trouble for an IOS
The digital models were then imported into a third party software where a library of tooth morphologies are available for the clinician to choose from.
Once the appropriate library is chosen, the digital wax ups are performed. In the subsequent photos you can see the transparent overlay of the wax-ups to the original position of the existing dentition
Once the case is designed to the ideal vertical dimension then multiple shells can be fabricated for treatment. The wax up model can be uniformly reduced by .5mmm’s circumferentially and a temporary shell can be designed. Once the teeth are prepared, these shells can be relined and seated onto the preps.
FIRST VERTICAL DIMENSION
The initial vertical dimension was greater than desired and the tooth shape was too bulky in appearance.
[videopress C0MfqBiS]
ADJUSTED TEMPORARIES AND NEW VERTICAL DIMENSION
Over the course of a few appointments, the vertical dimension was reduced and the temporaries were adjusted to the patient’s desires. The new upper and lower arch were captured with the Medit i500 and the jaws were related to each other.
This was then imported into exocad where the prepped arches from a few weeks prior were force matched to the new bite
[videopress Zj7XsYG4]
After the upper jaw was related to the temps, the same was done with the lower arch. Great care was taken to make sure the arches were properly related to each other throughout the process
[videopress ObPk1CAK]
CASE DESIGNS
The case was designed by CADENT BESSA, and the models were printed by Burbank Dental Lab with Carbon Printers. There restorations were milled and cut back and layered by Burbank Dental Lab
Medit Orthodontic Simulation application allows you to segment out individual teeth from patient scans into an stl format that you can use as a template for smile design wax-ups. You...
We’ve digitized the Vita 3D shade guide to help with color identification. The same Medit scanner was used to scan the tabs and then this digital file was created. the...
The following information is from the The American Board of Orthodontics. We preview how the Medit Ortho Simulation and Model Builder can satisfy their criteria...
Medit has many free applications, including Smile Analysis, Orthodontic Simulation, and now, Medit Model Builder Adding bases has been a feature for a while but as usual, Medit was quick...
You must be logged in to post a comment.