3-D images replace putty-like molds in Capital Region orthodontist offices

Here’s a little good news for people who need braces: Those uncomfortable, Silly Putty-like molds made to create an impression of your mouth may soon be considered oh-so 2017.

Digital scanners that take multiple pictures of the teeth to create 3-D images are taking their place.

“I think it’s going to become the norm,” said Dr. Michael DeLuke, a Schenectady orthodontist who has used digital scanners for about a year.

Traditionally, a gooey material — it can be made of different things, but is often seaweed- or kelp-based — has been used to get an impression of the teeth, which is then used to make a cast of stone or plaster. That cast, in turn, is used to fit braces correctly or to make retainers or appliances like palate expanders.

While it typically doesn’t take more than a minute, the mold-making can be distressing for some people, especially children with a strong gag reflex. It may also need to be repeated several times over the period in which someone has braces, as the teeth change.

That’s all eliminated with the digital scanners.

Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn of Adirondack Orthodontics invested in an oral scanner in September for his Guilderland office, one of three that he operates in the Capital Region. He gave the Times Union a demonstration of his digital scanner on Ryan Williams, a 29-year-old patient being fitted for clear braces. Williams lives in Clifton Park, but chose to go to Berenshteyn’s office strictly to avoid the traditional molds.

Certified Dental Assistant Nichole Burke moved a small wand loaded with a camera along each of Williams’ teeth. As she did so, a movable, 3-D image of Williams’ mouth began to form on a nearby screen, almost as if it were a painting being created in fast motion. It took 3 minutes for Burke to create an exact photographic replica of Williams’ mouth. Williams said he was completely comfortable through the process.

Next to the 3-D image of Williams’ mouth, Berenshteyn was able to pull up an image of what Williams’ teeth would look like after braces. The orthodontist described this feature as among the most useful of the digital scanners, as it allows him to educate patients on what he considers to be the best treatment plan.

“When you visually can see it, it’s a whole different ballgame,” Berenshteyn said.

In addition to displaying the teeth, the images can be manipulated on the screen by touch. Berenshteyn was able to move a tooth slightly or show Williams different degrees of correction that could be achieved. (And when no one was paying attention, Williams did exactly what many younger patients might be expected to do: He touched the screen and played with the images himself.)

“Now that this is fast and easy and pain-free and I can see the results before I even start, it makes the decision to get my teeth straightened easy,” Williams said.

The scanned images are used to create 3-D-printed casts of the teeth, which can then be used to make clear braces or retainers. Berenshteyn sends his images to Invisalign, the brand of clear braces that the scanner is compatible with. DeLuke has installed his own 3-D printer in his Schenectady office.

The process is a hit, especially with patients who’ve gone through mold-making in the past, the orthodontists said. Yet as important as improving patients’ experience, they said, is the quality of the results. The braces, retainers and appliances that are made from the scanners are superior to those made by the molds. They rarely need to be adjusted.

“We’re actually seeing a clinical improvement based on the quality of the images we’re taking now,” Berenshteyn said.

And instead of waiting days or a week to get a retainer, DeLuke said he is often able to create them in the same day. He has even dropped them off at a patient’s house on occasion, knowing that the fit will be perfect and no adjustments are needed.

The scanners are more costly than the molds for the orthodontists, who pay upward of $30,000 for the digital machines. Berenshteyn and DeLuke said they do not charge patients more than they did for the molds, though, in part because of the efficiencies gained through decreased staff time and avoiding the need to re-do the scans.

There’s one concern that patients consistently seem to have about the digital oral scans, DeLuke said. They worry they emit radiation. But the scans are not like X-rays, they take pictures like a normal camera.

“These are literally in-the-mouth cameras,” DeLuke said. “There’s no radiation at all.”