Overhead Drowning Your Practice? Emerge with New Tech, 1-Year ROI!

Is your lab having trouble with rising overhead costs? Investing in an Intraoral Scanner can help you reduce material and labor costs.

What is an Intraoral Scanner?

An Intraoral scanner is a handheld tool that uses light to create a 3D model of a patients mouth teeth and gums. These process is more precise, efficient, and an easier procedure for the patient. This replaces the time intensive process of getting an impression and hoping it doesn’t need to be redone.⁵ The scanners are quick and easy to use and are becoming more popular with dentists.

Cost Savings on Materials

There are many ways this will reduce costs for a dental office. All the impression materials are now no longer needed. Dental assistants can now take impressions in under 5 minutes! Increasing turnover and creating a better experience for the client. The scans can immediately be evaluated for mistakes.⁶

Decreased Lab Fees and Shipping Costs

Since all impressions are now in a digital file there’s no more waiting for the impression to be sent to the lab. This not only eliminates shipping fees but also reduces lab costs, as the digital models are more accurate, leading to fewer remakes. Digital files also require no physical storage space compared to bulky traditional impressions. Sending a file to the lab is now as simple as sending an email. Just remember to have good backups!

Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Going digital reduces the use of impression materials and packaging leading to reduced waste and contributing to a smaller carbon footprint. Many clients appreciate a forward-thinking, eco-friendly approach, which can add value to your practice.

Return on Investment

While smaller practices may hesitate to purchase in an IOS, the long-term savings make it a worthwhile investment. The cost of a scanner ranges from $6,999 (Carestream CS 3700) to $25,999 (iTero Lumina), with an average of $16,499.

Let’s break down the savings:

Material and shipping savings: $30 per impression¹ With an average of 384 impressions a year⁸, that’s $8,448 in savings.
Time savings: Dr. Perry estimates the impression process at 18 minutes and a dentists time is valued at $5.21 a minute.⁹ Using an IOS takes between 40 seconds to 5 minutes, so it can save about $67 per patient, translating to $25,728 in time savings annually.

That’s $34,176 in total annual savings! Based on these calculations, your practice will save enough to pay off the scanner in less than 7 months!

Dentist Satisfaction

Most dentists are satisfied with the results of using IOS technology. According to a survey by the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA 2021), 90% of dentists use IOS for single tooth-supported crowns, with 58% adopting the technology within the last 4 years. An impressive 91% are at least mostly satisfied with the results!

Conclusion

With 20.5% of dentists planning a major equipment purchase in 2024², an IOS is a smart option for reducing costs and improving efficiency. Even some of the cheaper Intraoral scanners like the Carestream CS 3700 retailing at $6,999, ⁴are affordable for even smaller dental practices. Depending on the volume of your practice, you could recoup your investment in under 4 months!

When you finally switch to digital impressions, why would you go with a non-digital lab? Look no further than Hitec Dental Ceramics as your fully digital dental lab.

Overhead Drowning Your Practice? Emerge with New Tech, 1-Year ROI!

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