We recently upgraded to the Dentsply Sirona Primescan 2 — the latest generation of intraoral scanning technology — and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this to our patients. Here’s what it means for your care and why we think it’s one of the most meaningful upgrades we’ve made in years.
If you’ve had dental work done in the past decade, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced a traditional impression — a tray filled with a thick, goopy material pressed into your mouth and held there while it sets. It’s uncomfortable, it triggers gag reflexes, and the results, while functional, are far from perfect. Digital intraoral scanners changed all of that. And the latest generation — led by the Dentsply Sirona Primescan 2 — has taken the technology to a level that wasn’t imaginable just a few years ago.
An intraoral scanner is a handheld wand that creates a precise 3D digital model of your teeth and gums in real time. The dentist guides the scanner around your mouth and a complete, full-color digital impression appears on a screen in seconds. No trays. No goop. No gagging. The scan takes a couple of minutes and is completely comfortable.
That digital model is then sent directly to our dental lab, where your crown, bridge, veneer, aligner, implant post, or implant crown is fabricated with extraordinary precision. The elimination of the physical impression step removes an entire layer of potential error from the process.
We recently upgraded from the original Primescan — a scanner that was already remarkable in its own right and set the standard when it launched. The Primescan 2 delivers approximately 3 times the scanning resolution and accuracy of its predecessor. For our patients, that’s not a subtle improvement; it’s a meaningful leap in the quality of every restoration we produce. The Primescan 2 advances that standard in several key ways:
Scanning speed and coverage. The Primescan 2 captures a wider field of view per scan pass, meaning the dentist can complete a full-arch scan significantly faster. Less time with a wand in your mouth is always a win.
AI-assisted guidance. The system uses artificial intelligence to flag potential scan gaps and guide the clinician in real time, ensuring complete coverage without the need to rescan areas. Fewer retakes means a shorter appointment.
Accuracy at the margin. For crown and bridge work, the margin — the precise edge where the restoration meets your tooth — is the most critical measurement in the entire process. The Primescan 2 achieves sub-20-micron accuracy at the margin. To put that in perspective, a human hair is roughly 70 microns wide. That level of precision translates directly into restorations that fit better, seal better, and last longer.
Full integration. The scanner integrates seamlessly with Dentsply Sirona’s design and milling software, which means the path from scan to finished restoration is entirely digital and tightly controlled. No hand-offs, no conversion errors, no lost impressions.
A crown that fits perfectly seats flush against the tooth, leaves no gap for bacteria to enter, and feels natural when you bite. A crown that fits poorly — even by a fraction of a millimeter — can rock slightly, create a ledge that traps food and plaque, and eventually fail. The difference between a crown that lasts 20 years and one that needs replacement in five often comes down to the quality of the impression it was made from.
This is why we invest in the best available scanning technology. It’s the same philosophy that drives every decision in this office: the tools you use directly determine the quality of the result.
Beyond the clinical advantages, patients simply prefer digital scanning. No gagging. No taste. No waiting for material to set. Children and patients with a strong gag reflex in particular find the experience dramatically easier. And because the digital file is stored, there’s no need to take a new impression if something needs to be adjusted — the scan is right there.
Digital scanning is also essential for planning implants, tracking orthodontic progress, and fabricating nightguards and retainers with a precise fit.
Technology in dentistry, like technology everywhere, advances quickly. But not every advancement is worth chasing. The progression of intraoral scanning — from messy physical impressions to the real-time, AI-assisted precision of the Primescan 2 — is one of the genuine leaps forward that benefits the patient directly and measurably.
If you have questions about what your next visit will look like, or what technology we use for your specific treatment, we’re always happy to walk you through it. That’s part of what we mean when we say we do things right.
— Dr. Dane Boren
