Why digital impressions are the future: comparing PVS vs. intraoral scanners
For decades, polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impressions have been the standard for capturing dental impressions, but with the rise of intraoral scanners, digital workflows are rapidly becoming the new norm. Digital impressions offer greater accuracy, efficiency, and patient comfort, making them a superior choice for modern dental practices.
1. Accuracy: digital vs. traditional impressions
PVS impressions have been widely used for their dimensional stability and detail reproduction, but they come with several limitations: material shrinkage or distortion over time, air bubbles and voids leading to inaccurate models, and human error in material mixing and tray placement.
Digital impressions eliminate these risks by capturing precise 3D models in real time. A study published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry found that digital impressions have a lower rate of errors compared to traditional PVS techniques, reducing remakes and ensuring better-fitting restorations.
Additionally, digital scanners allow instant visualization, enabling dentists to check for missing data and refine scans immediately, preventing errors before submission to the lab.
2. Efficiency and time savings
Traditional impressions involve several time-consuming steps — tray selection, material mixing, seating, and setting — typically taking 10–15 minutes per patient. PVS impressions must also be physically shipped to a lab, adding 1–2 days of transit time.
In contrast, intraoral scanners — including the Trios 5 Incisive offers — can capture full-arch scans in under 2 minutes and transmit files to the lab instantly. Research published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry found that digital workflows reduce chairside time and overall case turnaround by up to 50%.
3. Patient experience: comfort and compliance
One of the most common patient complaints about traditional impressions is the gag reflex caused by bulky trays and impression material. Many patients find PVS impressions uncomfortable and stressful, especially during long setting times.
Digital scanners eliminate the need for messy materials, offering a cleaner and more comfortable experience, a faster process that reduces patient anxiety, and better communication as patients can visualize their treatment in real time.
Research from the American Dental Association suggests that patients prefer digital impressions over conventional methods, leading to higher satisfaction rates and increased case acceptance.
4. Cost and ROI considerations
Although intraoral scanners require an initial investment, they provide significant long-term cost savings by reducing the need for impression materials and disposable trays, remakes and adjustments due to errors, and shipping fees for physical models.
Research shows that practices using intraoral scanners experience fewer remakes and higher profitability over time.
Incisive Dental's free scanner program allows practices to acquire intraoral scanners at no upfront cost while maintaining lab flexibility — unlike programs that lock dentists into exclusive lab contracts.
5. Digital integration for advanced treatments
Beyond impressions, intraoral scanners open new opportunities for advanced dental procedures including clear aligners, which integrate seamlessly with providers like Invisalign and SureSmile; implant planning, where accurate digital scans improve guided surgery precision; occlusion analysis using heat maps and bite force data; and 3D printing of custom nightguards, retainers, and surgical guides.
Intraoral scanners are no longer a luxury. They are becoming a necessity for modern dental practices. By switching from PVS impressions to digital workflows, dentists can increase accuracy, improve efficiency, enhance patient experience, and maximize profitability.