Digital Scanning for Dental Implants and Crowns: How a Digital Impression Helps Us Design Your Final Smile

For many years, one of the patients’ least enjoyable parts of restorative dentistry was also one of the most important: taking an accurate dental impression.

If you’ve ever had a traditional impression, you probably remember the tray filled with impression material placed over your teeth while you waited for it to set. Traditional impressions remain useful in dentistry, but today we can often capture much of the same critical information digitally using an intraoral scanner.

For patients, digital scanning can mean a more comfortable experience. For me as a dentist, however, its value goes much deeper. A digital scan creates a detailed three-dimensional representation of the teeth and surrounding oral structures that can become part of the planning and laboratory workflow for a porcelain crown, dental implant restoration, bridge, or other treatment.

But there is something I think patients should understand about digital dentistry:

The scanner doesn’t design your dentistry. Your dentist does.

“Digital technology gives me an extraordinary amount of information, but it doesn’t replace diagnosis, experience, or judgment. The value isn’t simply having a scanner. It’s knowing how to use the information it provides to create dentistry that fits, functions, and looks natural.”

— Marielaina Perrone, DDS

At my Henderson, NV dental practice, technology is most valuable when it helps us accomplish something very traditional: providing individualized dentistry as precisely and conservatively as possible.

What Is a Digital Dental Impression?

A digital dental impression is a three-dimensional record of the mouth created with a small handheld intraoral scanner. Rather than filling an impression tray with material and waiting for it to harden, the scanner is moved systematically around the teeth and oral structures. It captures a series of images or data points that software assembles into a three-dimensional digital model.

On the screen, I can examine the teeth from different angles and magnifications. Depending on the treatment, that digital information can document the shape and position of teeth, relationships between neighboring teeth, portions of the gums and soft tissues, and how the upper and lower teeth relate to one another.

The scan can then become part of a digital restorative workflow.

For patients, the experience can feel remarkably simple. But what we’re creating is much more sophisticated than a photograph.

Why Does an Accurate Impression Matter?

Whether an impression is digital or conventional, its purpose is to accurately communicate the patient’s oral anatomy so that a restoration can be designed to fit that individual mouth.

Consider a porcelain crown. The crown has to fit the prepared tooth. But that’s only the beginning. It must also contact the neighboring teeth appropriately, interact correctly with the opposing teeth when you bite, follow the contours of the gumline, and reproduce the shape and proportions necessary for comfortable function.

When the restoration is in the smile zone, we add another layer: aesthetics.

The crown needs to belong in the smile. That means considering color, translucency, contour, texture, proportion, symmetry, and the relationship between the tooth, lips, gums, and surrounding teeth.

Precision isn’t simply about whether a crown goes onto a tooth. It’s about how naturally that restoration becomes part of the mouth.

How Does Digital Scanning Work for a Porcelain Crown?

When a tooth requires a porcelain crown, I first prepare the tooth according to its clinical needs. The scanner can then capture the prepared tooth, the neighboring teeth, the opposing arch, and the bite relationship.

That information creates a digital model that can be used in the restorative design and laboratory process. This is one area where digital impressions have become particularly useful.

A systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating single-unit ceramic crowns found digital impressions produced clinically acceptable crown fit and performed at least comparably to conventional impressions, with some measurements favoring the digital workflow. But I don’t look at that evidence and conclude that technology automatically produces a better crown.

A scanner can accurately record what I give it.

I still have to prepare the tooth properly, manage the surrounding tissue, identify the restorative margins, evaluate the bite, communicate the aesthetic goals, and verify the completed restoration clinically.

That is why I think of digital scanning as an extension of clinical judgment rather than a substitute for it.

How Is Digital Scanning Different for a Dental Implant?

This is where things become particularly interesting. A natural tooth and a dental implant are not the same.

When I’m scanning a prepared natural tooth for a crown, the scanner records the actual tooth preparation.

With a dental implant, the implant itself is usually positioned below the gum tissue and cannot simply be scanned in the same way. Instead, we can use a component called a scan body.

The scan body connects to the implant and provides a recognizable three-dimensional reference. The digital system uses that information to help determine the implant’s position and orientation.

That information can then be incorporated into the design of the implant restoration. The patient sees a small scanner moving around the mouth.

Behind the scenes, we’re capturing information that helps connect the implant beneath the gums to the tooth we’re ultimately trying to create above it.

The Implant Is Not the Final Goal

This distinction is important because patients understandably focus on the implant. But an implant is essentially the foundation. The ultimate goal is the restoration attached to it.

That restoration needs to emerge naturally from the gum tissue, fit appropriately with neighboring teeth, function correctly against the opposing teeth, and allow the patient to maintain the tissues around it.

“I don’t plan an implant simply by asking where there is enough bone to place titanium. I think about the tooth we ultimately want to create and work backward from there.”

— Marielaina Perrone, DDS

Digital information can help us visualize and communicate those relationships. And that matters because a technically integrated implant in the wrong restorative position can create compromises involving aesthetics, bite, cleansability, or long-term maintenance.

Can Digital Scanning Be More Comfortable Than Traditional Impressions?

For many patients, yes.

Traditional impression materials can be particularly unpleasant for people with a strong gag reflex, dental anxiety, difficulty breathing comfortably through the nose, or simply a dislike of having a tray filled with material in their mouth. Digital scanning eliminates the impression material in cases where a fully digital impression is appropriate.

The scanner still needs to move throughout the mouth, so I wouldn’t tell patients they’ll feel absolutely nothing. But many find the experience easier. And this isn’t simply anecdotal.

A 2025 systematic review of digital versus conventional impressions for implant prostheses included 27 studies involving 737 patients. The researchers found similar prosthetic results and precision overall, while digital impressions performed better for impression time and adjustment duration. Importantly, all 12 studies in the review that evaluated patient perception reported a preference for digital impressions.

For someone who remembers struggling through traditional impressions years ago, today’s experience can therefore feel quite different.

Does a Digital Scanner Make Crowns and Implant Teeth More Accurate?

This question deserves a more thoughtful answer than simply saying yes. Digital scanning can be highly accurate, particularly for many single-tooth and limited restorative applications.

For single ceramic crowns, systematic-review evidence supports clinically acceptable accuracy, with digital workflows comparing favorably with conventional impressions.

Implant dentistry becomes more complicated because accuracy can depend on factors such as the number and distribution of implants, scanner and scanning strategy, scan-body characteristics, soft tissues, and the distance over which information must be captured.

So rather than saying:

Digital is always more accurate.

I prefer:

Digital technology can provide excellent accuracy when it is used appropriately for the clinical situation.

That difference matters.

What About All-on-4 and Full-Arch Dental Implants?

Full-arch implant dentistry deserves its own discussion because scanning one implant is very different from recording the precise three-dimensional relationships among several implants spread across an entire arch.

Small inaccuracies accumulated across a long scanning distance can become more important when we’re trying to fabricate a restoration that must connect precisely to multiple implants.

Research continues to evolve in this area.

A 2024 systematic review comparing conventional and digital methods for full-arch implant prostheses found mixed results across 23 laboratory studies: 12 favored digital methods, six favored conventional methods, and five reported comparable accuracy.

More recent research has examined stereophotogrammetry, another digital technology designed to record the three-dimensional positions of multiple implants.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found stereophotogrammetry demonstrated greater accuracy than intraoral scanning in most of the included complete-arch implant studies. However, only three of the 13 included studies were conducted in vivo, and the authors emphasized that additional clinical research is needed.

Why does that matter to a patient?

Because it demonstrates an important principle:

There isn’t one piece of technology that’s automatically best for every dental situation.

The more complex the treatment becomes, the more important it is to select and verify the appropriate workflow.

Digital Doesn’t Mean We Stop Checking

One misconception about digital dentistry is that once something has been scanned and designed by computer, it must automatically be perfect. Dentistry doesn’t work that way.

When a crown or implant restoration is delivered, I still evaluate it clinically.

Does it seat correctly?

Are the contacts appropriate?

Does the bite feel right?

Does the restoration interact properly with the gums?

Can the patient clean around it?

Does the color belong in the smile?

Does the shape look natural when the patient talks and smiles?

Digital precision is extremely valuable.

Clinical verification is still essential.

How Digital Scanning Helps With Communication

One of my favorite aspects of digital scanning is something patients may not initially think about: communication.

Dentistry involves a collaboration between the patient, dentist, and often a skilled dental laboratory. A three-dimensional digital model gives us another way to communicate detailed information about the mouth. Instead of thinking about one isolated tooth, we can consider that tooth within the larger environment.

For cosmetic restorations, that may mean looking at tooth proportions, symmetry, neighboring restorations, spaces, wear patterns, and the relationship of the teeth to the smile.

For implant restorations, it means understanding how the implant’s position relates to the restoration we’re asking the laboratory to help create.

The technology doesn’t replace communication. It can make communication richer.

Can a Digital Scan Show My Bite?

Digital workflows can also capture how the upper and lower teeth come together. That’s important because restorative dentistry cannot be designed only by looking at teeth from the front. Every crown and implant restoration becomes part of a functioning bite.

If a restoration is too high or receives forces inappropriately, the patient may feel discomfort, the restoration may experience excessive stress, or surrounding structures may be affected.

This becomes particularly important in patients who grind or clench their teeth. The scan gives us information, but I still interpret that information in the context of the individual patient’s bite and clinical examination.

Does Digital Scanning Eliminate Traditional Impressions Completely?

No and I don’t think it needs to. Digital impressions have transformed many areas of restorative dentistry, but conventional impression techniques still have clinical applications.

Some cases are more challenging to capture digitally. Moisture, bleeding, difficult-to-see restorative margins, mobile soft tissues, limited access, extensive restorative situations, and certain complex implant cases can influence which technique or combination of techniques is most appropriate.

Sometimes the best workflow may be digital.

Sometimes conventional.

Sometimes a combination of technologies and verification methods gives us the information we need.

I don’t believe patients benefit when dentistry becomes a competition between “old” and “new.” They benefit when we choose the technique that makes the most sense for their particular treatment.

What Digital Technology Cannot Do

A digital scanner cannot determine whether a tooth should receive a crown instead of a veneer.

It cannot decide whether a natural tooth should be saved or replaced with an implant.

It cannot diagnose periodontal disease by itself.

It cannot determine whether removing healthy tooth structure is justified.

It cannot understand that a patient wants a beautiful smile but is terrified of looking artificial.

It cannot decide what “natural” means for a particular face.

And it cannot replace the relationship between the dentist and patient.

Those decisions require diagnosis, conversation, clinical experience, and judgment.

“The more sophisticated dental technology becomes, the more important I think judgment becomes. Technology should help us deliver thoughtful dentistry. Not encourage us to do dentistry simply because technology makes it possible.”

— Marielaina Perrone, DDS

Digital Scanning and Natural-Looking Cosmetic Dentistry

Precision and beauty aren’t competing goals. They should support one another.

When I’m restoring a front tooth with porcelain, for example, accuracy is critical—but a technically precise crown can still look artificial.

Natural teeth aren’t perfectly uniform.

They have variations in translucency, texture, contour, light reflection, and color. They also exist within a face that has its own proportions, age, personality, lip dynamics, and character.

Digital tools can help us capture and communicate information. But natural-looking cosmetic dentistry still requires aesthetic judgment.

My goal isn’t to make a patient look digitally perfect.

It’s to make the dentistry look like it belongs to them.

What Should You Expect During a Digital Scan?

For most patients, the process is straightforward.

A small scanner is moved around the teeth while a three-dimensional model develops on the computer screen. Unlike a traditional impression, there generally isn’t a tray of impression material sitting over the teeth while it sets.

Another advantage of the digital process is that we can inspect the scan immediately. If a particular area needs additional information, that area can often be rescanned rather than repeating an entire conventional impression.

From the patient’s perspective, it may simply seem faster and more comfortable.

From my perspective, I’m evaluating whether I’ve captured the information necessary to move confidently into the next stage of treatment.

Is Digital Scanning Better for Patients With a Gag Reflex?

It can be particularly helpful. Patients with strong gag reflexes sometimes delay restorative treatment because they remember difficult experiences with impression trays.

An intraoral scanner removes the large tray and impression material from the process when digital scanning is appropriate.

Patients still need to tolerate the scanner moving through different areas of the mouth, but the experience is fundamentally different from holding an impression tray in place while material sets.

If you’ve had difficulty with dental impressions in the past, tell your dentist. There may now be options that make the experience considerably easier.

Why This Matters for Dental Implants and Crowns

Patients rarely come into my office asking for a digital scan.

They come because a tooth broke.

A crown needs to be replaced.

A tooth is missing.

They want an implant.

They don’t like the appearance of an old restoration.

Or they simply want to chew and smile comfortably again.

Technology is not the treatment.

Technology is one of the tools we use to help create the treatment.

For a porcelain crown, digital scanning can help us accurately communicate the shape of the prepared tooth, surrounding teeth, and bite.

For a dental implant, digital scanning can help communicate implant position and restorative relationships.

For cosmetic dentistry, digital information can become part of a larger process of evaluating proportions, symmetry, function, and aesthetics.

And throughout all of those situations, the objective remains the same:

Create dentistry that belongs in the patient’s mouth. Not simply dentistry that looks impressive on a computer screen.

Digital Dentistry in Henderson, NV

At my dental practice in Henderson, Nevada, serving Green Valley and the greater Las Vegas area, I believe technology should support personalized care rather than replace it.

Digital scanning can make portions of restorative and implant dentistry more efficient and comfortable while giving us detailed information for planning and communication. But I never want the technology to become the story.

The story is the patient.

What are we trying to restore?

What can we preserve?

What will function predictably?

What will be maintainable?

And what will look natural years from now?

Those questions matter far more than whether a procedure sounds technologically advanced.

The Future of Dentistry Is Digital But It Still Needs to Be Personal

Digital dentistry will continue to evolve. Scanners will improve. Software will become more sophisticated. Implant workflows will become increasingly integrated. Artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing will likely play larger roles in restorative planning and fabrication.

I welcome those advances when they improve the care we can provide. But there is a principle I don’t expect to change:

The best technology is valuable only when it serves good dentistry.

When I use digital scanning for a porcelain crown or dental implant restoration, I’m not trying to remove the human element from dentistry. I’m trying to give myself and the dental laboratory better information so that we can make more thoughtful decisions about the final result. Because ultimately, the goal isn’t a beautiful digital model.

It’s a healthy patient with a restoration that fits comfortably, functions predictably, is maintainable, and looks so natural that nobody thinks about the technology that helped create it.

“Technology may change how we capture the information, but the goal hasn’t changed: preserve what we can, restore what we need to, and create a result that feels like it has always belonged to the patient.”

— Marielaina Perrone, DDS

Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Scanning for Dental Implants and Crowns

What is a digital dental scan?

A digital dental scan uses a small handheld intraoral scanner to capture detailed information about your teeth and surrounding oral structures. Software combines this information into a three-dimensional digital model that can be used in the planning and fabrication of restorations such as porcelain crowns and dental implant restorations.

Is a digital scan the same as a traditional dental impression?

Both are designed to accurately record information about your mouth, but they use different methods. Traditional impressions use trays and impression material that sets around the teeth. Digital impressions use an intraoral scanner to create a virtual 3D model without conventional impression material when a digital workflow is appropriate.

Are digital dental impressions more comfortable?

Many patients prefer them. Digital scanning eliminates the need for a tray filled with impression material in cases suitable for a digital workflow. This can be especially helpful for patients who have experienced gagging, anxiety, or discomfort with traditional impressions.

How long does a digital dental scan take?

The time varies according to how much of the mouth needs to be scanned and the complexity of the treatment. One advantage is that the dentist can usually inspect the scan immediately. If additional information is needed in a particular area, that section can often be rescanned without repeating the entire impression.

How is digital scanning used for a porcelain crown?

After the tooth is prepared for a crown, the scanner can record the prepared tooth, neighboring teeth, opposing teeth, and bite relationship. The resulting digital model provides information that can be used to design and fabricate the final porcelain or ceramic crown.

Are digital impressions accurate enough for porcelain crowns?

Yes. Research supports the clinical use of digital impressions for single-unit ceramic crowns. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found digital impressions produced clinically acceptable crown fit and performed comparably with conventional impressions overall, with results marginally favoring the digital workflow.

How is a dental implant scanned if the implant is underneath the gums?

A component known as a scan body can be connected to the dental implant. The scanner records the scan body’s shape and position, allowing the digital system to determine the location and orientation of the underlying implant for restorative planning.

What is a scan body for a dental implant?

A scan body is a precisely manufactured component temporarily attached to an implant during digital scanning. It acts as a reference that allows the digital system to translate the implant’s three-dimensional position into the virtual model used to help design the implant restoration.

Can digital scanning be used for a single dental implant?

Yes. Digital impressions are commonly used in appropriately selected single-implant and limited implant-restoration cases. The exact workflow depends on the implant system, location, surrounding tissues, restorative design, and other clinical considerations.

Can an intraoral scanner be used for All-on-4 dental implants?

It can be used in some full-arch implant workflows, but complete-arch implant scanning is considerably more complex than scanning a single implant. Accuracy can be influenced by implant number and position, scanning strategy, scan bodies, scanner technology, and the distance across the arch.

Research continues to evaluate intraoral scanning, conventional impressions, photogrammetry, and other techniques for these complex cases.

What is stereophotogrammetry in implant dentistry?

Stereophotogrammetry is a digital technology that can record the three-dimensional positions of multiple dental implants. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found stereophotogrammetry more accurate than intraoral scanning in 10 of 13 studies evaluating complete-arch implant impressions. However, only three studies were conducted in patients, so additional clinical research is still needed.

Is digital scanning always more accurate than a traditional impression?

No. Digital scanning can provide excellent accuracy, but no single impression technique is automatically best for every situation. The appropriate method depends on the restoration, anatomy, number and location of implants, soft tissues, moisture control, accessibility, and complexity of treatment.

Does digital scanning eliminate traditional dental impressions?

Not completely. Conventional impressions still have legitimate applications in modern dentistry. Some patients and restorative situations are better suited to a digital workflow, while others may benefit from a conventional technique or a combination of digital and traditional methods.

Can a digital scan show how my teeth come together?

Digital workflows can record the relationship between the upper and lower teeth. This information can help with restorative design, but it does not replace the dentist’s clinical evaluation of the patient’s bite, jaw function, grinding or clenching habits, and forces placed on the restoration.

Does a digital scanner choose the shape and color of my crown?

No. A scanner captures information—it does not replace aesthetic judgment. Creating a natural-looking porcelain crown still requires decisions involving tooth shape, proportion, contour, translucency, surface texture, color, gumline, neighboring teeth, and the patient’s overall smile and facial characteristics.

Does digital scanning mean my crown will fit perfectly?

Digital technology can provide extremely useful and precise information, but no technology eliminates the need for clinical verification. When a crown or implant restoration is delivered, the dentist still needs to evaluate fit, contacts, bite, gum relationships, appearance, and cleansability.

Is digital scanning helpful if I have a strong gag reflex?

It can be. Because digital scanning doesn’t require a tray of impression material to remain in the mouth while it sets, many patients with a strong gag reflex find the experience easier. The scanner still needs to move throughout the mouth, so individual experiences vary.

Can digital scanning help make a crown or implant look more natural?

Digital scanning can provide detailed information that helps the dentist and dental laboratory understand the relationship between a restoration and the surrounding teeth and tissues. However, natural-looking dentistry ultimately depends on both technical precision and aesthetic judgment. Technology supports the process; it doesn’t create artistry by itself.

Is digital scanning available for dental implants and porcelain crowns in Henderson, NV?

Marielaina Perrone, DDS incorporates modern restorative and implant technology into personalized treatment planning at her Henderson, Nevada practice serving Green Valley, Anthem, Seven Hills, Summerlin, and the greater Las Vegas area. Whether a digital impression is appropriate depends on the individual tooth or implant, restorative needs, anatomy, and complexity of treatment.

About Marielaina Perrone, DDS

 Marielaina Perrone, DDS is a highly respected and experienced dentist in Henderson, Nevada. She has over twenty years of expertise in providing quality dental care to her patients. She graduated from Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine and has completed advanced training in cosmetic dentistry, implant dentistry, and facial aesthetics. Her dedication to excellence has earned her several awards and recognitions in the field of dentistry.

Dr. Perrone is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in dentistry and continuing education to provide the best possible care for her patients.

Dr. Perrone’s patient-centered approach is not just a philosophy, but a way of life. She believes in creating personalized treatment plans that cater to each individual’s unique needs and preferences. Her gentle and compassionate demeanor ensures a comfortable and relaxed patient atmosphere during their dental appointments.

Dr. Perrone’s dedication to her community extends beyond the walls of her practice. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cooking. But she also generously volunteers her time and expertise to various charitable organizations, fostering a sense of community and care in Henderson, Nevada.

Medically Reviewed by Marielaina Perrone, DDS