Eliminating Physical Impressions with 3D Digital Scan Integration

Replacing messy, inaccurate physical impressions with a built-in 3D STL viewer — reducing appliance remakes by 85% and cutting impression-to-lab time from 5 days to same-day delivery.

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About the Project

A digital scan integration platform that embeds a full 3D STL viewer directly into patient case records, enabling practices to upload, review, annotate, and transmit digital scans without leaving the application.

The platform eliminates the need for physical impressions, reduces appliance remakes, and streamlines the scan-to-lab workflow into a seamless digital pipeline.

Industry
Healthcare & Dental Sleep Medicine
Business Type
Dental practices specializing in oral appliance therapy
Core Offering
Built-in 3D STL viewer with scan-to-lab digital workflow
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The Problem: Messy Impressions, Costly Remakes, and Delayed Treatment

Practices were still taking physical impressions for oral appliance fabrication — a process that was messy, inaccurate, and required the patient to be physically present in the office. Remakes due to poor impressions cost $200–400 each and delayed treatment by 2–3 weeks.

A practice in Texas was spending $3K+ per month on remakes alone. Doctors had no way to review scan quality before sending to the lab, and the entire impression-to-lab workflow was manual and error-prone.

The goal was to build a fully digital scan workflow — from capture to review to approval to lab transmission — all within the patient case record, eliminating physical impressions entirely.

From messy physical impressions
to same-day digital scan
submission and lab delivery

Digitize Your Scan Workflow

Our Solution

Built-In 3D STL Viewer
  • Upload and view digital scans directly within the patient case
  • 3D model manipulation — rotate, zoom, and measure — in the browser
  • No external software required for scan review
Scan Comparison & Analysis
  • Side-by-side scan comparison for pre/post treatment evaluation
  • Fit calculations overlaid on 3D scan data
  • Annotation tools for flagging problem areas before lab submission
Direct Lab Transmission
  • Direct STL file transmission to manufacturing labs from within the platform
  • Scan-to-appliance workflow: Scan → Review → Approve → Send to Lab
  • Lab status tracking and delivery confirmation
Case Presentation Integration
  • Use 3D scans as the centerpiece of patient case presentations
  • Doctor annotations visible alongside scan models
  • Full audit trail of scan reviews and approvals

Challenges: Physical Impressions and Fragmented Workflows

High Remake Rates from Poor Impressions

Physical impressions frequently resulted in inaccurate molds, leading to $200–400 per remake and 2–3 week treatment delays for each failed impression.

No In-Platform Scan Review

Doctors had to use separate third-party software to view digital scans, creating workflow friction and preventing quality checks before lab submission.

Manual Lab Submission Process

Scan files were emailed or uploaded to separate portals, introducing delays and errors in the impression-to-lab pipeline.

Inability to Compare Pre/Post Scans

Without side-by-side comparison tools, practices could not visually demonstrate treatment progress or verify appliance fit against original scan data.

Why This Platform Transforms Digital Dentistry

We built a browser-native 3D scan viewer that integrates directly into the clinical workflow — enabling scan upload, review, annotation, comparison, and lab transmission without ever leaving the patient record.

Full STL rendering in the browser with rotate, zoom, and measurement tools — no plugins or external software needed.

The Impact: Digital Scanning Transforms Practice Economics

85%
Reduction in
Appliance Remakes
$75K
Saved Per Year
Per Practice on Redo Costs
Same-Day
Impression-to-Lab
Down from 5 Days
100%
Digital Workflow
End-to-End Scan Pipeline

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