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# Digital Impressions: How Intraoral Scanning Works
- URL: https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/guide/digital-dental-impression/
- Published: 2025-12-30T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T11:01:05.000Z
- Description: No impression tray, no impression paste: how the intraoral scanner creates an exact 3D model of your teeth in minutes.
- Author: Hassan Al-Johmani M.Sc.
- Tags: #t-zahnersatz-en, #lang-en, #ki-bild

Anyone who has ever had a conventional impression will remember: a large tray full of paste, keeping still for several minutes, perhaps gagging. A digital impression with an intraoral scanner makes this unnecessary for many treatments.

In short

An intraoral scanner is a small camera that is moved over the teeth and creates a three-dimensional model in real time. The scan usually takes only a few minutes, is very accurate and can be used directly for CAD/CAM fabrication at the practice or sent digitally to the laboratory.

## Advantages for patients

- no gagging caused by impression paste
- no waiting for the material to set
- the result is visible straight away on the screen – individual areas can be rescanned
- the basis for [precisely fitting ceramic restorations made with CAD/CAM](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/cad-cam-ceramic-crowns-nuremberg/)
- documentation of the condition of your teeth, allowing comparison over the years

![Intraoral scanner in the dentist’s hand, the coloured 3D model of the dental arch on the monitor](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/content/images/size/w960/2026/10/rg-scan-3.webp)![](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/assets/img/eu-ai/ai-generated-white.svg)

The 3D model is created live on the screen.

## How the scan works

Procedure 
1. **Drying**The teeth are briefly dried so that the camera gets clear images.
2. **Scanning**The camera is moved over the chewing surfaces and the inner and outer sides.
3. **Recording the bite**You bite together, and a scan from the side records how your teeth meet.
4. **Check**On the screen we check the preparation margins and details.

## What are digital impressions suitable for?

They are ideal for inlays, partial crowns, crowns, smaller bridges, implant crowns, occlusal splints and veneers. For very extensive restorations or removable dentures, a conventional impression may still make sense.

Read more
- [CAD/CAM restorations in Nuremberg](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/cad-cam-ceramic-crowns-nuremberg/)
- [Ceramic crowns made with CAD/CAM](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/guide/cad-cam-ceramic-crown/)
- [Acupuncture for a strong gag reflex](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/guide/acupuncture-gag-reflex/)

Book your appointment at the Zahnarztpraxis St. Peter – via [online booking](https://zahnarztpraxis-st-peter.de/en/book-appointment/) or by phone on [0911 554181](tel:+49911554181). You will find us at Hainstraße 25, 90461 Nürnberg (tram 6/10 to Scharrerstraße, patient parking via Scharrerstraße).

## Frequently asked questions

Is the scan safe for my health?

Yes. The scanner works with visible light, not with X-rays.

Does the digital impression cost extra?

That depends on the restoration. We state the costs in the treatment and cost plan.