iTero digital scan
An iTero digital scan is a 3D image of the teeth taken with an iTero intraoral scanner, a device iTero’s own page describes as capturing detailed 3D images of a patient’s teeth, gums and oral tissues.
The scan in iTero’s and Align Technology’s words
An iTero digital scan is made with an intraoral scanner, and iTero, Align Technology’s scanner brand, defines that device on its own page as “a device used in digital dentistry to capture detailed 3D images of a patient’s teeth, gums, and oral tissues.” The Glossary of Orthodontic Terms of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is silent on iTero and on intraoral scanners, so the definition here follows the maker.
Align describes what the scan gives an orthodontist on its page about orthodontic care for children: “Using an iTero scanner an orthodontist can get a high-resolution, interactive image of your child’s teeth.” The same page says a child’s first orthodontic exam “may include photographs, x-rays, or high-resolution iTero digital scans.”
Digital scan and intraoral scanner: the plainer names
In everyday speech an iTero digital scan is simply a digital scan, and the machine that takes it is an intraoral scanner, intraoral meaning inside the mouth. The iTero page lists other names people use for the machine: a dental scanner, a digital impression scanner or a 3D oral scanner.
Whatever the name, Align’s page for parents says what the image is for: “This 3D image of your child’s teeth helps the orthodontist determine if there are any issues that need treatment.” The AAO’s glossary uses a plainer phrase still, an electronic scan of the teeth, in its list of diagnostic records.
Where iTero digital scans come up in aligner treatment
iTero digital scans are named on the practice’s own pages, and the page on treatment with clear aligners describes where a scan fits in planning aligner treatment, in Align Technology’s words. Whether and when a scan is taken in your own treatment is the orthodontist’s decision.
Attachments, refinements and the other words that come with clear aligners are explained in the aligner section of the glossary.
Sources
- iTero, a brand of Align Technology, Intraoral Dental 3D Scanners: Feature Comparison
- Align Technology (invisalign.com), Baby Teeth and Beyond: Orthodontic Care for Growing Smiles
- American Association of Orthodontists, Orthodontic Glossary: Braces & Dental Terms Defined
Ask about iTero digital scans at your consultation
Questions about scans can go in when you request a consultation below.
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