If your dentist or orthodontist has already scanned your teeth, you may not need to start over with a physical impression.
Sentinel Mouthguards accepts qualifying STL and PLY digital dental scan files for custom night guard fabrication. When placing your order, simply choose the digital scan option at checkout. Once checkout is complete, you’ll receive an email with a secure link to upload your files.
From there, our laboratory reviews the scan before fabrication begins. If we need a different export or additional information from your dental office, we’ll let you know before moving forward.
What Is an STL Dental Scan?
An STL file is a common 3D file format used to represent the shape of your teeth and dental arch after an intraoral scan.
Instead of filling a tray with impression material, a dentist or orthodontist moves an intraoral scanner around the teeth to create a digital model. That model can often be exported in a format that a dental laboratory can use during fabrication.
PLY is another digital file format used by some dental scanning systems. Sentinel can review qualifying files in either STL or PLY format.
If you are not sure which scanner your dental office uses or what type of file it can provide, our guide to dental scanners and STL files covers that question separately.
Can Sentinel Use a Digital Scan I Already Have?
In many cases, yes.
What matters most is whether the scan provides our laboratory with an adequate representation of your current teeth and dental anatomy.
A file may require additional review if part of the dental arch is incomplete, the back teeth are not fully captured, the scan was exported in a format our laboratory cannot use, or your teeth have changed since the scan was taken.
How to Order a Night Guard With Your Digital Scan
The process is designed to be simple once you already have a professional scan.
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Choose your custom night guard.
Start with Sentinel’s custom night guard collection and choose the guard that fits your needs. -
Select the digital scan option.
During checkout, indicate that you already have a professional dental scan rather than requesting an at-home impression kit. -
Complete your order.
Once checkout is complete, Sentinel will send you an email with a secure upload link. -
Upload your STL or PLY files.
Use the link in the email to submit the files supplied by your dentist or orthodontist. -
Our laboratory reviews the files.
We review the digital model before fabrication begins. If something else is needed, we’ll contact you.
What If My Dentist Still Has the Scan?
That is very common. If you do not already have a copy of the files, ask your dentist or orthodontist whether your scan can be exported as an STL or PLY file.
You do not need to convert or modify the scan yourself. The original files provided by the dental office are the best place for our laboratory to start.
Do I Still Need an Impression Kit?
If the existing digital scan contains what our laboratory needs for fabrication, you do not need to take a separate at-home impression.
A physical impression and a professional digital scan are simply two different ways of creating the dental model used in the custom fabrication process.
If you have both options available and want to understand the differences, see our dental impression vs. digital scan guide.
What If My Digital Scan Is Older?
The digital file itself does not physically wear out, but your teeth can change over time.
Orthodontic treatment, crowns, implants, extractions, restorations or tooth movement may mean an older scan no longer represents your current dental anatomy closely enough for a new appliance.
Because that question depends on what has changed since the original scan, we cover it separately in Can I Reuse an Old Digital Scan for a New Night Guard?
From Digital File to Physical Dental Model
Once your scan reaches Sentinel, the digital file becomes part of our laboratory workflow.
After the files are reviewed, the digital dental model can be prepared for production. That allows our laboratory to move from a three-dimensional scan on a screen to the physical model used during the fabrication process.
The digital workflow changes how the dental model reaches our laboratory; it does not eliminate the laboratory review and finishing that go into making a custom appliance.
If you would like to see more of the process, our behind-the-scenes guide to how custom night guards are made follows the broader fabrication workflow.
Keeping Your Scan Can Make Future Reorders Simpler
Digital scans submitted to Sentinel can be retained for future reorders.
If your teeth have not changed, having the digital model already on file may mean you do not need to repeat the impression or scanning process the next time you order.
We explain that process separately in our guide to reordering from a saved 3D dental model.
Already Have a Digital Scan?
Choose your custom night guard and select the digital scan option at checkout.
Once your order is complete, we’ll email you a secure upload link for your STL or PLY files. Our laboratory will review the scan and let you know if anything else is needed before fabrication begins.