Is an intraoral scan better than a putty impression?
For most crowns, bridges, veneers and appliances, an intraoral 3D scan is a comfortable, accurate alternative to a putty impression: no tray of paste, less gagging, and any gap can be rescanned in seconds. Putty still has a place, for example when a margin sits deep under the gum. At Creative Arts in Dubai teeth are scanned in the clinic and the file goes digitally to the dental lab in the same building.
Who treats you here Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Kinan Bonni Dentist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
What is a digital dental impression?
Before a dental lab can make a crown, a veneer, a bridge or a night guard, it needs an exact copy of your teeth and bite. For decades that copy came from an impression: a tray filled with soft paste (often called putty) pressed over the teeth for a few minutes until it set, then poured in plaster to make a model.
A digital impression records the same information with an intraoral scanner, a wand about the size of a thick toothbrush with a small camera in its tip. The dentist moves it slowly over the teeth and gums while it captures thousands of images, which software stitches into a 3D model on the screen. The bite is recorded by scanning the upper and lower teeth together. Nothing is pressed into the mouth, and the scanner uses light, not X-rays.
At Creative Arts, intraoral 3D scanning is part of everyday restorative and cosmetic work, and the resulting file is sent straight to Creative Art Dental Lab, which is in the same building.
Intraoral scanner vs putty impression: how do they compare?
Both methods can produce excellent work. These are the practical differences most patients notice.
| Intraoral 3D scan | Putty or paste impression | |
|---|---|---|
| What you feel | A smooth wand moved over the teeth; you can pause, swallow and close | A full tray of paste held still until it sets |
| Gag reflex | Usually easier, because the back of the mouth is not filled | Often difficult for people who gag easily |
| If something is missed | The missing area is rescanned in seconds | The whole impression is usually retaken |
| Seeing the result | The 3D model is on screen straight away; the dentist can check it with you | Checked by eye once it is out of the mouth |
| Getting to the lab | Sent as a digital file | Physically transported, then poured in plaster |
| Storage | Kept digitally for comparison later | Plaster models take space and can chip |
| Where it can struggle | Margins deep under the gum, bleeding or saliva, some long-span and full-arch cases | Bubbles, tears or distortion if the paste moves before it sets |
The quality of the result depends far more on preparing the tooth well and controlling the gum and moisture than on the recording method.
Is a digital scan as accurate as a traditional impression?
For single crowns, veneers, short bridges and most implant crowns, digital impressions are now widely used and considered clinically reliable. The scan captures fine surface detail, and because the dentist sees it immediately, problems such as a blurred margin can be corrected on the spot rather than discovered at the lab.
Accuracy becomes more demanding as the area grows. For full-arch work, long bridges and some multi-implant cases, the result depends more on the scanning technique, the case and the software, and some clinicians combine digital and conventional steps. A scan also cannot record what the camera cannot see: if the edge of a preparation sits deep under the gum, or the area is bleeding, the gum may need to be gently retracted first, or a conventional impression may be the better choice.
In other words, the scanner is a tool; on its own it does not make a crown fit. What makes a crown fit is a well-prepared tooth, a clearly recorded margin, an accurate bite and a lab that checks the file before it starts. Our guide to the dental crown procedure shows where the scan fits into the whole process.
What does the dental lab do with your scan?
Once the scan is sent, Creative Art Dental Lab works through the same steps for most restorations:
- File check. The lab team checks the margins, the bite and the space available before any design starts, and asks the dentist if anything is unclear.
- Digital design (CAD). The restoration is designed on screen, shaped to your bite and neighbouring teeth.
- Manufacture (CAM). Ceramic such as zirconia or lithium disilicate is milled, and models or guides can be 3D printed.
- Hand finishing. Ceramists characterise, stain or layer the ceramic so it matches your natural teeth.
- Return to the clinic for try-in and fitting, typically within 3–5 working days depending on complexity.
The lab also accepts 3Shape and Medit scan files from other dentists. Read more about CAD/CAM at the lab.
What can a digital scan be used for?
- Crowns and bridges. The prepared tooth and its neighbours are scanned, and the lab designs and mills the restoration from the file. See crown and bridge work at the lab.
- Veneers and smile design. A scan of your current teeth is the starting point for a digital smile design and the mock-up you try before any irreversible step.
- Implant restorations. A small scan body is attached to the implant so its exact position can be recorded for the crown or bridge.
- Night guards and appliances. Guards for grinding can be made from a scan of your teeth.
- Clear aligners. Aligner treatment is planned digitally from a scan of the teeth.
- Monitoring. Scans taken months or years apart can be compared to see wear, gum changes or tooth movement.
A digital scan does not mean a crown made while you wait
Some clinics mill crowns in the surgery on the same day. Creative Arts does not make crowns on the same day: your scan goes to the lab in the same building, where the crown is designed, made and finished by ceramists, typically in 3–5 working days. A temporary crown protects the tooth in between.
See how Creative Art Dental Lab turns a scan into a crown, veneer or bridge, from digital design and milling to hand finishing, in the same building as our clinic in Dubai.
Explore CAD/CAM at the labWhat happens during a scan appointment?
A scan is a calm part of the visit. The teeth are dried gently with air, because saliva can blur the image, and the dentist moves the wand around each arch in turn. You can breathe and swallow normally, and if you need a break the dentist simply pauses and carries on where they stopped. The bite is then recorded with your teeth together.
For a crown or bridge, the tooth is prepared first under local anaesthetic, and sometimes a thin cord is placed in the gum for a few minutes so the edge of the preparation is visible. The dentist checks the 3D model on screen, rescans any unclear area and then sends the file. For a veneer or smile design case, scans of the teeth before treatment are combined with photos to plan the new smile. Dr. Khalid Saeed and Dr. Kinan Bonni use scanning in cosmetic, crown and implant cases, and can show you your own 3D model.
If you have a strong gag reflex, tell the team when you book; scanning is often much easier than a tray, and breaks can be built in. Our guide on same-day vs lab-made crowns explains the difference between milling in the surgery and in a lab.