In this article
Before any aligners are made, someone needs an accurate copy of your teeth. At Jawology you can start with an at-home impression kit or a 3D scan at a partner clinic.
Both lead to the same place: a digital model your dental team uses to plan and review your treatment.
How the Impression Kit Works
The kit is posted to you. It contains impression material and trays. You follow the instructions to take impressions of your upper and lower teeth, then post them back, where they are scanned digitally.
The advantages are convenience and no appointment. The catch is technique. Taking a good impression takes care, and if the result is unclear or incomplete you may be asked to redo it.
How the 3D Scan Works
For a 3D scan, you visit one of Jawology's partner clinics in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, Melbourne or Canberra. A clinician moves a small intraoral scanner around your teeth and builds a digital model in a few minutes. There is no impression material involved, which some people find more comfortable, especially if they have a strong gag reflex.
The advantage is that the clinic can check the scan quality straight away. The catch is that you need to be able to get to a partner clinic.
Which Is More Accurate
Both can produce a result good enough to plan treatment from. Neither is automatically better for every person. What matters is the quality of the final model, because your plan is only as good as the starting point.
A scan is checked on the spot, so problems are caught immediately. An impression is only judged once it has been returned and scanned, so the occasional redo is part of the process. If anything about the model is not good enough, the team will ask for a new one rather than plan from it.
Which Should You Choose
A 3D scan tends to suit you if you live near a partner clinic, gag easily, or like the idea of the result being checked while you are there.
An impression kit tends to suit you if there is no partner clinic nearby or you would rather do everything from home.
Options and pricing can differ between products. For some, such as a single custom retainer, the in-clinic scan is the only option, so check the product page for what is available. Whichever route you take, a dental professional still reviews your case, and not every case is accepted for remote treatment. Our guide to how refunds work if your case is unsuitable explains what happens if yours is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an impression kit as accurate as a 3D scan?
Both can give a model that is good enough to plan treatment from. The difference is mainly in how quickly any problem is spotted, since a scan is checked on the spot and an impression is checked after it is returned.
What if my impressions aren't good enough?
You may be asked to take them again. This is a normal part of the process, and it is better than planning treatment from an unclear model.
Is a 3D scan uncomfortable?
Most people find it comfortable. The scanner is a small wand moved around your teeth, and there is no impression material to hold in your mouth.
Do I still get assessed if I start with a kit?
Yes. A dental professional reviews your case either way, and cases outside what remote treatment can safely achieve are declined or redirected to a partner clinic.
Find Out If You're a Good Candidate
Take our free 2-minute assessment to see if Jawology's clear aligners suit your case. Treatment from $1,945.
Take the Free Assessment
