Photogrammetry – IOS on Steroids?
In the dynamic landscape of dentistry, the journey to full mouth restorations has traditionally been characterized by a series of appointments, from surgery to customization and delivery. Yet, imagine a future where achieving comprehensive restorations for your patients is not only efficient but also remarkably precise. Enter photogrammetry – a groundbreaking advancement in dental technology that has disrupted conventional methods and redefined the restorative process without compromising accuracy.
What is Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is not IOS (intra oral scanning) on steroids. At its core, photogrammetry leverages sophisticated position recording techniques, commonly employed in diverse industries such as architecture, landscaping, and archaeology. Within dental applications, this entails strategically mounting scan flags onto implants within the patient’s oral cavity, facilitating the precise capture of implant positions, rotations, and angulations with unparalleled accuracy. Equipped with stereo cameras, photogrammetry delivers enhanced depth of field and dual camera recording capabilities, ensuring meticulous results throughout the process.
The Workflow
Prior to the acquiring photogrammetry scan, it’s imperative to conduct an intraoral scan (IOS) pre-surgery. Following the implant surgery, the photogrammetry scan is executed by scanning the designated scan flags, followed by another IOS scan to register the soft tissue surface. Currently, the market offers several competitors in this field, including PIC®, IMetric®, and MicronMapper®, each offering distinct advantages and workflows. However, a common thread among these systems is the prerequisite IOS scans pre- and post-surgery.
The provisional restoration, typically delivered as a “delayed loading” solution on the subsequent day. Following the integration phase, a definitive restoration is fabricated using the initial scan from the day of surgery. Leveraging the accuracy of photogrammetry, the need for a verification jig is eliminated, expediting the fabrication of the final restoration.
To delve deeper into the transformative capabilities of photogrammetry in dentistry, we invite you to explore our comprehensive educational series on the subject, available on our YouTube channel.