If you've ever had a tray of cold putty pushed into your mouth and been told to hold still, you'll appreciate what's changed. At Kentfield Dental, Dr. G captures your teeth with a small handheld scanner that builds a detailed 3D model on screen in minutes. It's one of the small comforts that can make a visit in Marin feel calmer — and it's designed to give your crowns, aligners, and guards a more precise, long-lasting fit.
What is a digital intraoral scanner?
A digital intraoral scanner is a small wand, about the size of an electric toothbrush, that we glide around your teeth and gums. As it moves, a camera in the tip takes thousands of images per second and stitches them together into a full-color, 3D model of your mouth that appears live on a screen right next to you.
That 3D model replaces the old physical impression — the tray of putty you bite into. Instead of a goopy mold that has to be poured into plaster and mailed to a lab, your scan is a precise digital file. We can zoom in, rotate it, show you exactly what we're seeing, and send it straight to the lab or to our in-house design software for crowns, Invisalign aligners, or a nightguard. We use the Trios 5 and Dandy scanners to help keep that capture fast, comfortable, and accurate.
The traditional way vs. our way
Most offices have taken impressions the same way for decades — here's how that compares to a digital scan.
The traditional way
- A tray filled with putty is pressed onto your teeth, and you hold still while it sets — a common trigger for the gag reflex.
- The material can be messy and unpleasant to taste; if a tray pulls away too soon or has a bubble, the whole impression often has to be redone.
- The physical mold is mailed to an outside lab, which can add days of waiting before your crown or appliance comes back.
- There's little to look at together — it's hard to show you what's going on in your own mouth from a plaster cast.
The Kentfield Dental way
- A small wand glides over your teeth — no tray, no putty, and far less to trigger gagging, so many patients find it genuinely comfortable.
- The 3D model builds on screen in minutes; if a spot needs another pass, we simply rescan that area instead of starting over.
- Your scan is a digital file we can send straight to the lab or to our in-house software — which can often shave days off the timeline.
- The live 3D model becomes a teaching tool: Dr. G can zoom in and show you exactly what we see, so you're part of every decision.
Why it matters for you
Comfortable — no goopy putty
There's no tray of putty and nothing sitting in the back of your throat. The wand simply moves around your teeth, which is why so many patients who used to dread impressions are surprised by how easy a scan can feel.
Fast — minutes, not a redo
A full scan usually takes just a few minutes. If one area needs a touch-up, we rescan that spot rather than redoing the entire impression — so you can spend less time in the chair.
Precise digital fit
Capturing thousands of data points creates a highly accurate model of your teeth. That precision is designed to help your crowns, veneers, aligners, and nightguards fit cleanly, which supports comfortable, long-lasting results.
An instant 3D model you can see
Your mouth appears on screen in full color and 3D right away. Dr. G can rotate it, zoom in, and walk you through exactly what's happening — so the plan makes sense before any treatment begins.
Powers crowns, aligners, and guards
The same scan can feed our same-day crowns, Invisalign clear aligners, and custom nightguards. One quick, comfortable capture can set up several treatments without another round of putty impressions.
Cleaner and greener
No mixing materials, no plaster models, and no shipping trays back and forth. Digital files keep things tidier in the office and easy to store and revisit at future visits.
The equipment: Trios 5 and Dandy intraoral scanners.
Frequently asked questions
For most patients, scanning is far more comfortable than putty impressions. There's no tray and no material sitting at the back of your throat, just a small wand moving gently over your teeth, so the usual gag-reflex triggers are greatly reduced. You can pause anytime you need a breath.
A scan usually takes just a few minutes. The exact time depends on whether we're capturing a single tooth or your whole mouth, but it's quick — and if one area needs another pass, we simply rescan that spot instead of starting over.
Yes — digital scanning is highly precise and is exactly what we use for crowns, veneers, Invisalign aligners, and nightguards. The scanner captures thousands of data points to build a detailed model, which is designed to help your final restoration or appliance fit cleanly and last well.
No — an intraoral scanner uses safe optical light to photograph your teeth, not X-rays, so there's no radiation involved. It's purely a camera-based 3D capture. (X-ray imaging is a separate tool we use only when it's genuinely needed.)
Yes, and we encourage it. Your 3D model appears on a screen right beside you, and Dr. G can rotate and zoom in to show you what we're seeing. It can make it much easier to understand your options and feel confident about the plan.
Your scan is saved as a secure digital file. We can send it to a lab or use it in our in-house software for crowns, aligners, or guards, and we can revisit it at future visits to compare changes over time — no plaster models to store or lose.