A scanner can do amazing things — if you know how to use it! If you don't, it leads to frustration for you, your patients, and your lab. To help you overcome the barriers and become a master at scanning, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design, to reveal 15 scanning nightmares that you can learn to identify and avoid. To start improving your scans and have a better relationship with your lab, listen to Episode 750 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Coachman:

• Join Dr. Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman
• Follow Dr. Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman
• Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com
• Register for the DSD Provider course (October 7, 2024, and November 11, 2024): https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-provider
• Register for DSD Residency 1 On Demand: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand
• Listen to Dr. Coachman’s podcast, Coffee Break with Coachman: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ADCrWhqsUKbHmZtkhhgoB
• IOS-F1 Festival (May 2025, the weekend of F1): Registration TBA

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 750: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Read Digital Dental Revolution by Alessandro Agnini and Andrea Mastrorosa Agnini: https://www.quintessence-publishing.com/usa/en/product/digital-dental-revolution
• Try Loom: https://www.loom.com

Main Takeaways:

• You need to be a great dentist before mastering the scanner.
• Be upfront with your lab about limitations and challenges.
• Always analyze your scans before sending it to the lab.
• In the digital world, there is no excuse for bad scans.
• Don't pretend like you don't see scanning problems.
• Modernize your communication by utilizing AI.
• Utilize your CAD software for the best scans.
• Train your assistants in proper scanning.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:04 Why this is an important topic and about IOS-F1 Festival.

5:14 A scanner isn't a magic solution.

9:25 Two-thirds of cases sent to the lab should be rejected.

12:43 Master the process of creating a precise patient avatar.

14:29 Find the real problems that need to be solved.

21:13 Lab nightmares: Poor mesh resolution.

24:20 Lab nightmares: Interproximal scan distortion.

28:34 Lab nightmares: Finishing lines that are not visible.

31:00 Modernize your communication.

37:37 Lab nightmares: Sharp angles.

39:29 Lab nightmares: Clearance.

41:25 Lab nightmares: Prep margin designs.

44:19 Lab nightmares: Undercuts.

47:33 Lab nightmares: Not getting the ideal soft tissue information.

51:22 Lab nightmares: The bite.

56:29 Lab nightmares: No scans and pictures of the provisional.

58:13 Lab nightmares: The picture and scan of the provisional is bad.

58:54 Lab nightmares: Noise on the scan body region.

59:54 Lab nightmares: Wrong height of scan body.

1:00:05 Lab nightmares: Scan body is wrongly scanned or placed.

1:00:35 Lab nightmares: Poor choice of scan body.

1:01:09 Lab nightmares: Full-arch scan distortion.

1:02:42 Types of scans and teaching team members to scan.

1:06:39 The vision of IOS-F1 Festival and 2025 course dates.

Dr. Christian Coachman Bio:

Combining his advanced skills, experience, and technology solutions, Dr. Christian Coachman pioneered the Digital Smile Design methodology and founded Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Since its inception, thousands of dentists worldwide have attended DSD courses and workshops, such as the renowned DSD Residency program.

Dr. Coachman is the developer of worldwide, well-known concepts such as the Digital Smile Design, the Pink Hybrid Implant Restoration, the Digital Planning Center, Emotional Dentistry, Interdisciplinary Treatment Simulation, and Digital Smile Donator. He regularly consults for dental industry companies, developing products, implementing concepts, and marketing strategies, such as the Facially Driven Digital Orthodontic Workflow developed in collaboration with Invisalign, Align Technology.