WHY?
Aoralscan 3 By SHINING 3D
“TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A PERISHABLE CONSUMABLE“
Michael C C Ho
Technology should always be acquired on the basis of its immediate utility value. Paying for more features to future proof is a futile exercise as the technology may well be superseded before you get to use it.. SO GET THE BEST VALUE TECHNOLOGY FEATURE FOR NOW and then use it immediately to the fullest extent, run it to the ground before it’s time to take advantage of the next technology advancement. It should have all the features you need for now, no more no less, at the right price so that you can quickly get your return on investment (ROI) and be able to progress with the advances justifiably.
The AORALSCAN version 3 (AOS3)
Aoralscan 3 fits my bill for in-house aligners perfectly. The ROI for this scanner at the current price makes this scanner a no brainer. The laptop is included mandatorily but fortunately it is a high end DELL laptop. A cart completes the ensemble.
I think this will also allow me to finally shut down the plaster bay !!!!
Background
After a long drawn out review of the major intraoral scanners (IOS) since mid 2021 – our clinical trials included Trios, Itero, PrimeScan, Medit – a clear choice was not obvious until now.
Our reviews were to touch and feel the scanners. Test drive its handling – size, weight, balance and the software interface clinically were key factors for me. We have always had a scanner since 1994 – since Cerec 2. We are now with the slightly date CEREC OmniCam. So I highly appreciate and value the pragmatic aspects of the scanners..
At 240g the AOS3 was the lightest, followed very closely by the Medit i700 at 245g … then compare these two to the Primescan (Sirona) at 525g which is more than double the weight and almost an order of magnitude more in cost (*). The AOS3’s weight correlates with it’s size pretty much. The AOS3’s balance is very good and this is just as well because it is so fast sand the balance allows you to maneuver effectively. AOS3 does not like long scans. (A feature I will discuss in a future blog)
So its not an empty boast that you can scan an arch ion about 30 secs and the bite registration is even less. Taking into account the software flow of control, ie that you have to click to accept a scan or to go back for a void here and there, a five minutes scan of both arch with a bite registration is very much a routine scan.
(*) Technology should always be acquired on the basis of its immediate utility value. Paying for more features to future proof is a futile exercise as the technology will inevitably be superseded in a couple of years with a better and often cheaper version… SO GET THE BEST VALUE TECHNOLOGY FEATURES FOR NOW and then use it immediately to the fullest extent, run it to the ground …
Michael C C Ho
Consider it as
“PERISHABLE CONSUMABLE”
Adaptive Orthodontics
The technical aspects of the scanner were researched online before we decided which to try out. The good source for independence reviews is Institute of Digital Dentistry (iDD) https://instituteofdigitaldentistry.com/ios-reviews/
Speed and Accuracy
I will follow up this report when we have had a couple of months experience. The immediate feedback is that ten minutes appointment for a double arch scan and bite registration is going to be a routine. The scanning only takes five minutes. The other five minutes is settle the patient in the chair while you setup the new account. I can attest to the speed but I will defer to the iDD for the accuracy which gives the accuracy a high rating.
Software and Hardware
The AI (artificial intelligence) mode and the internal heating in the scanner (auto anti-fogging) facilitates scanning without chairside assistance. The AI actively removes ( not see/record) cheeks and tongue. And if you wear a non tooth color (blue/green) gloves it will eliminate your gloves from your scan too. All this is done at an amazing speed. I envisage that I will be able to get my senior chairside to scan independently of me.
Initially I still needed to customize the laptop setting for myself a little ( e.g. old age – bigger fonts etc ) but it was fairly intuitive mostly to get started. I am not quite kosha with using the scanner as a mouse wand yet. This is the feature that allows you to control the software without touching the laptop, but at this stage I believe it definitely needs a proper mouse as the laptop’s mouse pad is inadequate for high resolution graphics screen to rotate/translate the 3D model when you are scanning. Tell you more later as we integrate this into our practice
ADAPTIVE ORTHODONTICS 
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