FAQ
What does dual scan technique mean?
A straight answer first, then the context behind it, from the technicians who do the work.
THE SHORT ANSWER
The dual scan technique uses two separate CBCT scans, one of the patient wearing a radiographic stent and one of the stent alone, then overlays them in planning software to align bone anatomy with prosthetic position. This gives the surgeon and lab a single dataset that shows where the implants need to go relative to where the final teeth will sit.
THE CONTEXT
What sits behind it
In conventional implant planning, bone data and prosthetic data live in separate files. The surgeon sees the CBCT; the lab sees the impression or scan. The dual scan technique closes that gap. The radiographic stent, typically a duplicate of the planned prosthetic, carries radiopaque markers in both scans. Planning software matches those markers to register the two datasets into one merged file, letting the implant positions be driven by the prosthetic outcome rather than bone availability alone.
For prosthodontists and oral surgeons managing full-arch cases, this matters most. Placing implants at the right angulation for an All-on-X or implant-supported overdenture is far more predictable when the final prosthetic envelope is already visible in the planning environment. The alternative, placing by bone availability then adapting the prosthetic, increases the likelihood of cantilever compromise, off-axis loading, or screw access holes in esthetically unacceptable positions.
Dani Dental supports dual scan workflows from the lab side. When a referring doctor sends the stent scan and the patient scan together, the team merges the datasets before surgical guide design begins. That merged file becomes the foundation for the guide, the abutment design, and, where the case is planned as a same-day protocol, the provisional prosthetic. One coordinated digital file across the full workflow, rather than separate pieces handed off at each stage.
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