---
title: "Your First Intraoral Scanner: What General Dentists Should Actually Look For"
description: Discover essential factors general dentists should consider when selecting their first intraoral scanner to enhance digital workflows and improve patient care.
image: https://learn.renewdigital.com/hubfs/BLOG%20IMAGES%20(750%20%C3%97%20420%20px)%20(83)-1.png
---
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# Your First Intraoral Scanner: What General Dentists Should Actually Look For
[Team Renew](https://learn.renewdigital.com/blog/author/team-renew)
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## A Practical Buying Guide for General Dentists Ready to Make the Move to Digital Impressions
Buying your first intraoral scanner can feel a little like buying your first CBCT.
There are plenty of specifications to compare. Every manufacturer has a different software ecosystem. Prices can vary considerably. And nearly every scanner promises some combination of speed, accuracy, simplicity, and better workflow.
But if you're a general dentist buying your first scanner, here's the good news:
**You probably don't need to become an expert on every scanner specification to make a good decision.**
Instead, start with your practice.
What do you want to scan? How often will you use it? Who on your team will use it? Where do you want your digital workflow to go over the next several years?
Answer those questions first, and comparing scanners becomes much easier.
Here are the factors we think general dentists should actually consider when shopping for their first intraoral scanner.
## 1. Start With What You Want to Scan
Don't begin with the scanner.
Begin with the dentistry.
For many general practices, the first applications are relatively straightforward:
- Crowns and bridges
- Implant restorations
- Night guards and splints
- Retainers
- Clear aligners
- Diagnostic models
- Digital records
You may eventually use your scanner for considerably more, but you don't necessarily need an advanced digital workflow on day one.
That's one of the advantages of intraoral scanning.
You can start by replacing traditional impressions in a few common procedures and expand your digital workflow as your team becomes more comfortable.
Before comparing products, write down the three or four procedures for which you expect to use the scanner most frequently.
Those should drive the purchasing decision.
## 2. Ease of Use Matters More Than You Think
A scanner can have impressive specifications and still spend most of its time sitting unused.
The best scanner for your practice is one your team will actually pick up.
That's why usability should be near the top of your list, particularly for a first scanner.
Consider:
- How quickly can the team learn the scanning workflow?
- Is the software intuitive?
- How easy is it to start, pause, and complete a scan?
- Can you easily identify areas that need to be rescanned?
- How simple is it to send the case when you're finished?
Ideally, intraoral scanning shouldn't become a procedure that only the dentist feels comfortable performing.
The easier it is for the appropriate members of your team to incorporate scanning into everyday workflows, the more value you're likely to get from the investment.
## 3. Don't Evaluate Speed by a Demo Alone
Scanner speed gets a lot of attention.
And yes, speed matters.
But watching an experienced representative perform a rapid full-arch scan at a trade show doesn't necessarily tell you what scanning will look like in your practice.
Real-world scanning involves different patients, restorative preparations, posterior areas, moisture, limited openings, and varying clinical conditions.
Instead of asking only:
**“How fast is it?”**
Ask:
**“How consistently can my team capture the scans we need?”**
A fast scan that requires significant cleanup or repeated rescanning doesn't necessarily create a faster workflow.
For a GP, consistency and usability can be just as important as raw scanning speed.
## 4. Think About Ergonomics
If you plan to use a scanner every day, how it feels in your hand matters.
Consider the size and weight of the scanner as well as how easily you can maneuver it around the mouth.
Try it yourself if possible.
Then have someone else on your team try it.
What feels comfortable to one person may not feel the same to another.
A scanner should make digital impressions easier—not introduce another ergonomic challenge into the operatory.
## 5. Understand the Software Before You Buy the Hardware
The scanner is only one part of the purchase.
Software determines what happens to the scan after you capture it.
Ask questions such as:
- How are cases created?
- How are scans stored?
- How are files exported?
- Can I send scans to the labs I already use?
- Which file formats are available?
- Can scans integrate with other digital workflows?
- Are software updates included?
- Are there additional software or cloud fees?
- What happens to my data if I stop using a particular service?
A scanner may be excellent clinically but still be a poor fit if its software doesn't work well with the rest of your practice.
Think beyond the scan itself.
## 6. Ask Whether the Scanner Is Open
This is particularly important for general dentists.
Many practices don't want to build their entire digital workflow around one manufacturer.
You may use one dental lab for crowns, another for implant restorations, different software for treatment planning, and eventually add a 3D printer or milling system.
The ability to export commonly used digital files can give your practice more flexibility as your workflow evolves.
When evaluating a scanner, ask:
**“Can I easily use these scans outside this manufacturer's ecosystem?”**
The answer can have long-term implications.
## 7. Look Carefully at Ongoing Fees
Purchase price isn't necessarily the same as ownership cost.
Depending on the scanner, ongoing expenses can include:
- Software subscriptions
- Cloud storage
- Support plans
- Warranty extensions
- Scanner tips or other consumables
- Additional workflow applications
- Service fees
None of these costs automatically make a scanner a bad investment.
But you should understand them before purchasing.
A scanner with a lower upfront price but significant recurring fees may ultimately cost more than expected. Conversely, a higher initial purchase price may include services that would otherwise cost extra.
Compare **total cost of ownership**, not just the number on the sales quote.
## 8. Make Sure It Works With Your Labs
This is one of the easiest questions to answer before buying—and one of the most important.
Call the labs you use most often.
Ask which scanners and file formats they commonly receive and how they prefer digital cases to be submitted.
Your lab may also be able to provide useful insight into the digital workflows that work particularly well for the types of cases you send.
A smooth dentist-to-lab workflow is one of the biggest benefits of intraoral scanning.
Make sure the scanner you're considering supports it.
## 9. Consider Where You Want Your Practice to Go Next
You may be buying the scanner today for crown and bridge.
What might you be doing two years from now?
Perhaps you'd like to add:
- More implant dentistry
- Clear aligners
- In-office night guards
- 3D printing
- Digital dentures
- Chairside restorations
- More advanced treatment planning
You don't have to buy equipment for every hypothetical future workflow.
But your first scanner should give you room to grow.
The scanner often becomes the starting point for a much larger digital ecosystem.
## 10. Support Matters—Especially With Your First Scanner
Your first few weeks of scanning will be different from your hundredth.
There will be questions.
Your team may need help with scanning technique. You may encounter software questions. You may need assistance connecting with a lab or exporting a particular file.
That's normal.
The quality of the support behind the scanner can therefore be nearly as important as the scanner itself.
Ask what happens after installation.
Who trains your team?
Who do you call when you have a question?
Who helps if the software isn't communicating properly?
A scanner isn't very valuable if your team stops using it because they can't get help.
## Do You Need the Most Expensive Intraoral Scanner?
Not necessarily.
This may be one of the biggest misconceptions for general dentists entering digital scanning.
Premium scanners can offer excellent technology and advanced workflows. For some practices, those capabilities are absolutely worth the investment.
But the most expensive scanner isn't automatically the right first scanner for every GP.
If your primary goals are digital impressions for restorative dentistry, appliances, implant restorations, and occasional orthodontic workflows, you may not need every feature available on a premium platform.
The better question is:
**What scanner gives me the capabilities I will actually use at a cost that makes sense for my practice?**
That's a much more useful way to shop.
## Why We're Paying Attention to Alliedstar for General Dentistry
Alliedstar has become particularly well known in orthodontics, where intraoral scanning plays a central role in everyday digital workflows.
But many of the qualities that make a scanner appealing to an orthodontic practice also matter to a GP.
General dentists need scanning to be approachable, efficient, flexible, and easy to incorporate into everyday procedures.
That's why we think [Alliedstar](https://www.renewdigital.com/brands/alliedstar/) deserves consideration beyond orthodontics.
For a GP evaluating a first intraoral scanner, the question isn't whether you're building the most sophisticated digital practice in town.
It's whether the scanner can help you comfortably take the **next step** into digital dentistry.
## Before You Buy, Take a Test Drive
Specifications can narrow your choices.
A demo can help you make the decision.
Whenever possible, scan with the equipment yourself before purchasing.
Have members of your team try it too.
Pay attention to how quickly you understand the workflow, how the scanner feels in your hand, how easily you can navigate the software, and whether you can imagine incorporating it into a normal day at your practice.
The best first scanner isn't necessarily the one with the longest feature list.
It's the one that your practice will actually use.
## Final Thoughts
Your first intraoral scanner can be one of the most important steps your practice takes toward digital dentistry.
But it doesn't need to be complicated.
Start with your clinical needs. Evaluate usability. Understand the software. Ask about file flexibility and ongoing costs. Talk to your labs. Consider where your practice may go next. And make sure you'll have support when you need it.
Most importantly, don't assume you need to buy more scanner than your practice needs.
A scanner that fits your everyday dentistry—and gets used every day—can be far more valuable than a more expensive system whose advanced features rarely leave the menu.
## Considering Your First Intraoral Scanner?
Renew Digital can help you compare intraoral scanning options based on your clinical workflows, budget, and plans for digital dentistry.
**And if you've mostly associated Alliedstar with orthodontics, take another look. It may be a much better fit for general dentistry than you think.**
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