Learn
Resources for practices going digital.
Short, practical guides written for the doctor and the front office, not for other lab techs. Straight answers from 28 years at the bench.
Getting started
Sending your first digital case
It is easier than you think. Find us on your iTero scanner at Lab ID 655153, or on 3Shape Communicate as Griff Dental Pros, and send the scan directly from the chair. Using another scanner? Export the STL or PLY and email it with your Rx. We confirm every new case the day it arrives, and if anything in the scan needs attention, you will hear from us before we begin, not after.
Scanning
Scanning for removables
Removable cases live and die by tissue detail. Capture the full vestibule and border extensions, keep the tongue and cheeks retracted through the sweep, and take your time on the posterior seal area. If a partial is planned, make sure every abutment tooth and rest prep is crisp in the scan. Not sure the scan is usable? Send it anyway. We would rather review it with you than have you rescan a patient who did not need it.
Workflow
Digital dentures, explained
A digital denture is designed on screen, then produced from that exact file. The fit is repeatable, the records are saved, and if a patient ever loses or breaks an appliance, we can produce a replacement from the file on record without starting over. You still get a try in, and every appliance is still finished by hand. The digital part adds precision and a permanent record. The craftsmanship part has not changed.
Chairside support
Relines, rebases, and repairs
For a reline, send the appliance with a wash impression inside it. For a repair, send every piece, even the small ones. Disinfect before packaging, pad the box well, and include a note on how soon the patient needs it back. We know a patient without their denture is a patient calling your front desk, so tell us the situation and we will work with your schedule.
Workflow
Turnaround and scheduling
Every case type has a standard in lab time, and we will give it to you straight before you send the case, not after. Call the lab and we will walk through timing by case type, what counts as a rush, and how to plan seats around delivery. If a case will be late for any reason, you will hear it from us first. That is a promise we have kept.
Glossary
Removables, translated
Quick definitions for the front office. Intraoral scan: a digital impression taken with a wand instead of a tray. STL and PLY: the file types scanners produce, and the ones we accept. Reline: new fitting surface inside an existing appliance. Rebase: new base entirely, same teeth. Try in: the fitting appointment before final processing. If a term ever has you guessing, call us. We answer the phone.