Starting your orthodontic journey is an exciting moment. Anticipation of the end result is usually front of mind on the day that orthodontic treatment begins, but, in our experience, there are a few factors that cause a little pre-brace anxiety.
Taking moulds
One of the aspects that some patients find disagreeable is the impression-taking. This is when we put a pink gooey mixture (alginate) into a tray and place it over your teeth. Usually we need to do this twice, one for the upper arch and another for the lower arch.
Some patients don’t mind traditional impression-taking but others find it difficult to tolerate and can’t wait for the trays to be removed from their mouth. Well, I’m happy to tell you that patients will no longer have this experience! I have just acquired a new 3D colour scanning system which is making mould-taking a thing of the past here at the clinic.
Scanning speed
What’s wonderful about the Trios scanner is that it’s so quick. The hand held device, or capture wand, is operated by our therapist or orthodontic nurse. While she slowly moves the wand around the mouth, it takes a series of tiny images of the teeth. These images are sent directly to our computer system where a colour, digital picture of the patient’s teeth and mouth is assembled.
We have been using a scanner at the clinic for some while but with our new device, the time that a patient has to spend in the chair is dramatically reduced. What once took twenty minutes now takes just under five.
The other great thing about the new scanner is that we no longer have to coat newly bonded brackets with unsavoury tasting paste that was required for our previous system. Although our patients never complained about the taste of this liquid, we know that the experience is much nicer without it.
I predict that our record-taking appointments will be greatly improved, and not just for our patients. My team save precious working time too.
