Your job in one line: make the 3D scan sound like a normal part of the visit, and book accepted treatment while it’s still fresh in the patient’s mind.
Right now we mostly use the scanner for one thing: capturing impressions for the lab. It can do a lot more. This maps out the fuller gameplan – the ways to put it to work clinically, the new treatment it uncovers, and how to make patients genuinely excited in the chair. Share it with your hygiene, assisting and front-desk teams.
When a patient sees their own smile on the screen, and then sees what it could look like fixed, the decision gets a lot easier. They can picture the result, so they want it.
Higher case acceptance is the result we want. It comes from patients enjoying this part of the visit. Here’s what to lean into:
With Smilecloud – Straumann’s AI smile-design tool that pairs with these scans – you can design a photorealistic preview of a patient’s improved smile in a few clicks and show it to them, even on a patient app they can take home. Whiter, straighter, gaps closed, worn edges rebuilt. When a patient sees their own “after,” whitening, aligners, bonding and veneers go from abstract to something they can picture on their own face.
Most people have never seen their own mouth like this. Spin it around, zoom right in. That curiosity is what gets them leaning toward the screen instead of watching the clock.
For crowding or bite issues, show an alignment preview. Seeing the finished result is often what moves an aligner conversation forward.
The scan comparison shows change over time, a bit like a fitness tracker for their mouth. It keeps patients invested in whitening touch-ups, nightguards, and catching wear early.
No trays, no goop, nothing to gag on. Kids love seeing their own teeth on screen, and anxious patients relax when they’re watching the picture instead of bracing for the next step.
Today the scanner does one job for us: capture an impression and send it out. That’s a fraction of what it’s for. Here’s the fuller gameplan, split into what we can start doing now with the scanner and our own lab, and what’s worth adding next.
Show patients their own mouth so treatment is something they can see, not just hear. The core lever for everything below.
Grinding shows up clearly as flattened, worn edges. An easy, visible lead-in to occlusal guards, fabricated by our lab.
Flag crowding and bite issues chairside. The Sirios connects to the ClearCorrect Dr Portal if we offer aligners.
Re-scan at recall and compare. Recession, wear and cracks that progress are the strongest argument for acting early.
A permanent digital baseline for every patient – useful for insurance pre-auths, second opinions, and medico-legal records.
With the scan saved, patients can reorder a retainer or guard without a new impression. Convenient for them, recurring for us.
The scan is the first impression of a modern practice. It earns comments, reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Every accepted case can route to our own lab in a click – better speed and quality control, and kept in-house rather than sent outside.
Show patients a photorealistic “after” of their own smile to drive aesthetic acceptance – whitening, aligners, bonding, veneers.
Combine the scan with a CBCT to plan implants and print surgical guides, and to work up cases with the surgeon.
Design and mill or print single-visit crowns chairside. Not our current model – our fast path is digital straight to Infinity instead.
Whitening is the lowest-barrier treatment we offer. Almost everyone wants it, the cost is small, and a patient who says yes to whitening is warmed up for the bigger conversations. The scanner makes it a natural offer, and the trays come from our own lab.
On the reveal, zoom in on staining and discoloration. Most patients have never seen it this clearly – and once they do, they want it handled.
Hygienist / AssistantFrame it as the easy first step: low commitment, fast, a visible result. Nothing bigger has to be decided today.
Hygienist / DoctorCustom take-home trays are fabricated straight from the scan by Infinity, our lab – no goopy impressions. In-office options too.
Assistant → InfinityThe scan stays on file, so refill gel and replacement trays are a quick reorder. Whitening becomes repeat revenue, not a one-off.
Front DeskThis is not a sales technique. It is how patients make decisions about their own health. A few things worth knowing before we get into the workflow:
National average treatment acceptance runs around 50–60% for existing patients and only 25–35% for new patients. That gap is the opportunity.
Vision is the dominant sense in decision-making. A clear image does more to build understanding than the best-worded explanation.
In a commonly cited case study, one practice’s acceptance moved from 72% to over 90% after making intraoral imaging a standard part of the visit.
When a patient looks at their own tooth, the problem becomes theirs to act on rather than ours to argue for. That shift is what drives a yes.
The Sirios X3 is a visual and communication tool. It shows surface conditions beautifully – wear, recession, cracks, failing margins, plaque, crowding, missing teeth. It does not replace radiographs or the doctor’s exam for things like interproximal decay. We present it as “here is what we can see,” alongside x-rays and the exam, never instead of them.
The scan takes a couple of minutes, there is no goopy impression, and patients enjoy it. Two reasons we do it on everyone, not just restorative cases:
When confirming or greeting, mention it plainly: “Part of your visit today is a quick 3D scan of your mouth so the doctor and you can see everything together on the screen.” It frames the scan as standard, not an upsell.
Front DeskCapture a full-arch baseline before the exam, while the patient is fresh and curious. Narrate lightly as you go so they stay engaged with the screen.
Hygienist / AssistantTurn the screen toward them and give them a moment to look at their own mouth. Then guide their eye: point to the areas worth noticing without diagnosing. Let the image do the talking.
Hygienist / AssistantLeave the scan on-screen for the exam. A warm handoff – “I showed them the wear on the lower molars, I think you’ll want to look at that” – means the doctor’s findings land as confirmation of what the patient already saw.
Hygienist → DoctorWhen the plan is presented, keep the relevant scan on-screen. The treatment coordinator or front desk then books it while the visual is fresh, and captures anything not scheduled for follow-up.
Doctor → Coordinator / Front DeskMake a fresh scan part of the hygiene visit. It only takes a couple of minutes and keeps the record current for the lab and for the doctor.
HygienistShow the earlier scan next to today’s. For patients with wear, recession, a chip, or a shifting bite, the change over time is visible and undeniable. This is where a “let’s just watch it” patient becomes a “let’s take care of it” patient.
Hygienist / DoctorPull up scans for treatment a patient passed on before. Seeing that the same area has progressed is often the nudge they needed. No pressure – just the picture.
Doctor / CoordinatorYou are drawing their attention, not diagnosing. Point, describe what it is in plain language, and let the doctor make the call.
Say these naturally, in your own voice. The goal is a patient who feels shown, not sold.
We’ll set a baseline for each location from current reports, then check these monthly. If the scan rate is high and acceptance isn’t moving, that tells us the workflow needs tuning, not the tool.
| Metric | Seton – now | Midpark – now | Starting target |
|---|---|---|---|
Scan rate Scans completed ÷ exam & hygiene patients seen |
____ % | ____ % | ≥ 95% Every patient, every visit |
Case acceptance – existing ClearDent: treatment accepted ÷ presented |
____ % | ____ % | ≥ 70% Industry avg is 50–60% |
Case acceptance – new ClearDent: treatment accepted ÷ presented, new patients |
____ % | ____ % | ≥ 45% Industry avg is 25–35% |
Treatment $ scheduled Value booked within 30 days ÷ value presented |
$ ____ | $ ____ | ≥ 60% Book while the scan is fresh |
Fill the “now” columns from this month’s ClearDent production and treatment-plan reports before rollout, so we have a clean before-and-after. Targets are starting goals to refine once we see real numbers – they are not guarantees.