Impressions and digital capture
Choose technique according to soft-tissue behaviour, preparation margins and restoration. Tissue management and accuracy remain important with digital systems.
Understand
An impression records hard and soft tissue in a way suited to the planned prosthesis. Digital capture changes workflow but not the need for visible, stable margins and correct occlusion.
Assess
Check tissue health, moisture, retraction and material selection. Inspect the result for voids, pulls, distorted borders or incomplete scans before sending it to a laboratory.
Apply
Repeat an inadequate record rather than asking a technician to guess. Communicate preparation, shade, material and design clearly with the laboratory.
Key distinctions
Conventional materials can displace soft tissue if handled poorly; scanning may miss mobile tissue or subgingival margins. The record should reproduce what the laboratory needs, not merely look smooth. A clear prescription describes material, shade, margin, contacts and occlusal scheme. Check disinfection and data transfer processes when moving between clinic and laboratory.
Think through a case
A scan misses a deep subgingival crown margin. The digital file is still inadequate, just as a distorted conventional impression would be.
The distinction to remember
Do not ask the laboratory to invent an unseen margin. Improve tissue control or reconsider the preparation.
Test your recall
Does a digital scan remove the need for tissue control?
Show answer
No; margins and soft tissues still need clear capture.