iTero: No More Putty

How the Scanner Works

The iTero Element is a slim handheld wand linked to a monitor. As it glides over your teeth it records thousands of images from different angles, and software stitches them together into an accurate, full-colour 3D replica of your mouth, which you can watch taking shape in real time. Because it captures light rather than X-rays, no radiation is involved, and the only thing that comes near your teeth is the rounded tip. Scanning the whole mouth takes a few minutes; if the software spots a gap, the wand is simply passed over that area again. The finished model is saved to your notes and can go directly to the dental laboratory or to Invisalign.

What We Use It For

• Invisalign: the scan behind the simulation you see at your free consultation, and the data Align Technology uses to manufacture your aligners
• Crowns, onlays and veneers, built from exact digital measurements so they seat accurately and need minimal adjustment
• Implant crowns, scanned after the implant has healed and then fitted in a single visit
• Vivera and Essix retainers, produced from a scan of your teeth once they're straight
• Night guards for grinding and clenching
• Whitening trays, shaped precisely to your teeth for Boutique home whitening
• A record over time, so scans from different years can be laid over each other to reveal wear, drifting teeth or receding gums

Put simply, any job that once called for an impression tray is now done with a few minutes of scanning.

Seeing Your Invisalign Result First

At a free Invisalign consultation with Dr Pei Xian Chen, your iTero Element scan is turned into a preview of your finished smile, displayed on your own face, before you decide anything. It's produced during the appointment, and for many people it's the moment the idea becomes real. Think of the preview as a projection of the planned tooth movement, which helps decide the right package and gives you a realistic picture. It isn't a guarantee, because every mouth responds a little differently, and consistent aligner wear makes the greatest difference. The same scan is sent to Invisalign to manufacture your aligners. Every package, from Lite at £1,795, comes with Vivera retainers, refinements, whitening, a hygiene visit and all your scans,² and our group has held Invisalign Diamond Apex status, a level reached by the top 1% of Invisalign providers across Europe, every year from 2022 to 2026.

Why Digital Beats Putty

• No gagging on a tray. Your mouth isn't filled with material, there's no setting time, and you can stop to swallow whenever you need to
• Greater accuracy. Impression material can shrink or tear as it sets and comes out, and plaster casts get chipped. Digital models stay exact, so restorations fit more closely and need less fine-tuning
• Quicker. A few minutes of scanning, with no waiting for anything to harden and no repeats because of a bubble
• Easier to explain. We can rotate your model, enlarge a chipped or worn tooth, and set it beside last year's scan
• No couriers. The file reaches the laboratory or Invisalign within moments instead of days
• Less waste. No single-use trays, putty or plaster to throw away

At Your Scan Appointment

You don't need to do anything beforehand. You recline in the chair, and the wand travels around your upper teeth, then your lower teeth, and finally across both while you bite together so the software captures how they meet. Meanwhile the model builds on the screen in front of you. The tip is smooth and never needs to push against your teeth or gums. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, mention it: the wand is narrow, it only visits the back teeth for a moment, and you can pause for a breath whenever you like. Most scans are complete within a few minutes, and we can go through the model with you straight afterwards, highlighting anything worth watching.

iTero, X-Rays and CT: Different Jobs

Each tool answers a different question. The iTero shows the outside: the shape and colour of every tooth surface and the contour of the gums, which is what a laboratory needs to make a restoration fit and what Invisalign needs to plan movement. Whatever lies inside a tooth or under the gum is hidden from it. That's the job of X-rays, which pick up decay between teeth, leakage under old fillings and how much bone surrounds each root. CT goes a step further, giving a 3D map of jawbone, nerve and sinuses before implant surgery. Peninsula Dentists has all three on site, and they often work together: an implant is planned from the CT scan, while the crown that sits on it is designed from an iTero scan. Our CT scan guide covers when that level of imaging is justified, and the fees.

Referral Scans for Other Dentists

Referring clinicians can book an iTero Element scan for a patient at £120, whether for aligner planning, restorations or records.² Within 48 hours the full-colour 3D files are back with you, and your patient returns to you for all other care; we carry out only what you've asked for. Patients don't need a referral to be scanned if they come to us directly for a free Invisalign, composite bonding or whitening consultation. The referral form is on our referrals page. From Canary Wharf, we're about five minutes away on the Jubilee line.

Questions

This guide explains the options in general terms. Only an examination can tell you which of them suits your own teeth.