How often do you incorporate new technologies into your dental practice and how do you decide which technology to incorporate next? There is a technology that is so versatile, any practice would benefit from incorporating and using it daily…the T-San by Tekscan. I have personally worked in practices that use the T-Scan as well as have clients that have added it and have seen a huge return on their investment!
The T-Scan is easily moved from room to room, plugs in with USB and is super comfortable for the patient. The T-Scan’s versatility is incomparable. When used to its full potential, not only can dentists best manage patient occlusion, but your entire team can also help to create treatment plans and close on them!
Let’s talk about some of the ways the T-Scan can be used in dental practices.
Occlusion: The T-Scan can measure and graph pressure points showing heavy occlusion that has solid measurables compared to the typical articulating paper. Not only can it measure in centric occlusion, its measure in right and left excursions as well as protrusion. Being able to balance the occlusal loads in all of these positions is a game changer! It literally eliminates the need for return visits for occlusal adjustments to single unit crowns and bridgework. This means more time on your schedule for other productive treatments!
TMD Treatment: Using the T-Scan to manage malocclusion in TMD treatment can reduce the need for orthotics and other forms of therapy. It limits the number of visits to the dentist for continued adjustments and creates faster healing times with the joints. Managing malocclusion is an intricate part of the TMD process and healing. Often, other therapies are required that are highly expensive for patients, but the use of the T-Scan is a vital tool in possibly eliminating the need for these other therapies and the costs associated with them. For some patients, it could be the difference in getting the help they desperately need to eliminate their pain or having to live with it indefinitely.
All on X/All on Four Treatment: Using the T-Scan technology in delivering the All on X final prosthesis is invaluable. Remember, All on X patients have no proprioception. It is all muscle memory with some input from the TMJ capsule. Also, using the T-Scan during the lab processes brings more successful interim prothesis’ and reduces time and lab costs due to no breakage in interim appliances due to occlusal load. It also reduces breakage in final prosthesis as well. What does this mean to the patient and the practice? It means less visits to the dentist for the patient, and less frustration! For the practice it means more available time to do other productive treatments for other patients because unnecessary time is not being spent on extra visits for All on X patients. It is a win/win!
Abfractions: We know that abfractions are caused by heavy malocclusion in certain areas. Using the T-Scan will identify the areas of heavy occlusion that can be adjusted and corrected therefore preventing more abfractions. To simply fill an area where there is an abfraction is not a solution, it is a band-aid. You must get to the source cause of the abfraction and that is malocclusion. The T-Scan makes this so easy to identify and correct.
Diagnosis and Case Acceptance: This is where your team becomes more invaluable than they are already! Train your team to use the T-Scan on their patients. Use it on new (and current) patients that have signs of malocclusion (wear, over closed, scalloped tongue, lingually tipped posterior teeth, narrow arches, tori, etc.). Show them the scan and then ask questions. If you see an area of heavy load, ask the patient to lightly bring their teeth together and see if they feel that heavy loaded area hit first. More often than not, they will confirm what you are seeing. This proves to the patient immediately that your technology works, and this opens the conversation for how to correct it! This is just another way your team can create case acceptance in your practice daily. Who doesn’t want support like that?!
To summarize, the T-Scan will bring versatility to your team and your practice that will month over month increase your treatment success rate and create more opportunities for case presentation and acceptance. The ways it can be incorporated into the practice are innumerable (single crown and bridge, orthodontics, TMD treatment, implant treatment, All on X treatment). I highly encourage any practice to put a T-Scan at the top of your list of technology additions this year! You won’t regret it!
Sherri Merritt
Dental Consultant & Trainer
