Technology · Digital dentistry & 3D printing
Comfortable digital scans instead of impression putty, treatment planned on screen, and crowns, veneers, night guards and dentures made in our own lab, often the same day.
We've gone digital
Most dental practices still take impressions with trays of putty, send them to an outside laboratory and ask you to come back in a couple of weeks. At Sedgemead House Dental almost all of that happens digitally, and much of it happens here.
A small handheld 3Shape scanner captures thousands of images of your teeth and bite, stitched into an accurate 3D model in minutes. We plan on screen, show you what we are proposing, and then make many restorations and appliances in our own lab.
Digital dentistry
From the first scan to the finished smile, these are the ways digital dentistry makes a difference to your care. Scroll down: the digital wax-up turns as you go.
Digital wax-up · made in our labScroll to turn
A quick, comfortable 3Shape scan replaces impression putty for crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures, aligners, implants and night guards. It is easy to repeat, so we can compare scans over time and spot wear or movement early.
Your check-up
Low-dose digital X-rays appear instantly on screen. Our clinicians are assisted by Pearl, an AI analysis tool that highlights possible decay and other findings in colour, so we can show you exactly what we are looking at. Your dentist always makes the diagnosis.
About our X-rays
For cosmetic and restorative treatment we design the result on screen first, around your face, lips and bite. You see the plan before anything is done to your teeth.
Smile makeovers
Back-tooth restorations are printed from a ceramic-filled resin on our SprintRay Midas, a printer built for dental restorations. From the broken tooth to the fitted restoration in one visit: no temporary, no second injection and no second appointment.
Crowns & overlays
Minimal-prep veneers printed in your chosen shade, often as thin as 0.1 to 0.15 mm, so little or no tooth needs to be removed.
Veneers
We print the planned smile so it can be tried over your own teeth. You can see and feel the new shape, and show it to the people close to you, before you commit to anything.
Composite bonding
Hard night guards for clenching and grinding, designed from your scan and made in our lab, to protect your teeth and any restorations.
Tooth wear
Digital dentures designed on screen and printed on our Formlabs Form 4B. Book a speedy denture and we can often fit it the same day.
Dentures
Clear aligner movements are planned from your scan with a specialist orthodontist, so you can see how your teeth will move before you start.
Teeth straighteningInside our lab
Photographs of our own lab work and patients, shown with their permission.
A 3Shape digital scan of your teeth and bite. No impression putty.
Your restoration is designed on screen, using AI-assisted software that we review and refine.
Printed in our lab: restorations on a SprintRay Midas, dentures and appliances on a Formlabs Form 4B.
Cured, polished, checked against your bite and fitted, often the same day.
Which material?
We choose the material tooth by tooth, and explain why.
| 3D printed restorationMade here | Ceramic (E.max) overlay or crown | Gold restoration40–60% gold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made | In our lab, often while you wait | By our dental laboratory | By our dental laboratory |
| Visits | Usually one | Two | Two |
| Best for | Back-tooth crowns, overlays and inlays in normal biting forces | Heavy biting forces, front teeth and the most demanding cases | Heavy grinders and back teeth where strength matters most |
| Typical lifespan | 7–10 years | 10–15 years | 10–15 years |
| Track record | A newer category, with encouraging early data | Many years of long-term evidence | The longest track record of all |
3D printed restoration
Made here
Ceramic (E.max) overlay or crown
Gold restoration
40–60% gold
We will recommend the material that suits the tooth, your bite and your budget. Crowns & overlays explains the options in more detail.
3D printed restorations are a newer category than milled or pressed ceramics. We looked carefully at the survival data before using them, and we choose them where they are the right material for the tooth. For some cases, such as very heavy grinders, a milled or pressed ceramic may be the better choice, and we will tell you if so.
Prices
All our prices are kept in one place, on our fees page, so they are always up to date. Your written treatment plan confirms every fee before anything begins, and 0% finance over 12 months is available on qualifying treatment, subject to status.
Questions
No. The scanner is a small wand that moves around your mouth. There are no trays or putty, which is a big help if you have a gag reflex.
Yes. We use definitive, regulatory-cleared, ceramic-filled resins designed for permanent crowns, overlays, inlays and veneers, in a range of tooth shades.
They perform well for many everyday restorations. Milled or pressed ceramics such as E.max have a longer track record, so for very heavy grinders or demanding cases we may recommend those instead. It is a clinical decision we make with you, tooth by tooth.
Printing takes minutes. Most of the appointment is preparation, scanning, design and fitting, all in a single visit.
Yes. When booked as a speedy denture, we scan, design, print and fit 3D printed dentures in the practice, often the same day.
Crowns, overlays, inlays, veneers, bridges, dentures, clear aligners, night guards, mock-ups and models.
No. Pearl highlights areas for your dentist to look at closely, and helps us show you what we see. Your dentist always makes the diagnosis and talks it through with you.
Related treatments
Same-day 3D printed restorations
Book online any time, or call and talk it through with our reception team.