Modern equipment changes what a visit looks like: fewer messy impressions, 3D imaging in-house for the procedures that need it, and instrument tracking that follows every tool back to the patient it was used on. None of it replaces a dentist’s judgement. It supports it, appointment by appointment.
What Does Our Intraoral Scanner Do?
An intraoral scanner captures a 3D digital image of a tooth instead of the conventional putty-filled tray held in the mouth for three to five minutes. Either method can design a crown; the scanner is just the digital route to the same result. St Ives Smiles uses a Dentsply Sirona Primescan.
For the patient, the difference is what happens in the chair: a wand moves over the teeth to build the image, rather than a tray of material setting in place. The scan feeds straight into planning for One Visit Crowns and Invisalign.
How Do Same-Day Crowns Work?
A same-day crown is designed and milled in the same visit the tooth is prepared, using a scan instead of a laboratory impression. The conventional route sends that impression to an external lab, fits a temporary crown, and brings you back weeks later. St Ives Smiles mills crowns in-house on a Dentsply Sirona unit, which removes that return visit for suitable cases.
Not every tooth suits a single-visit crown, so your dentist will let you know whether yours does. Read more on One Visit Crowns.
What Is CBCT (3D) Imaging Used For?
CBCT stands for cone beam computed tomography. It builds a three-dimensional X-ray image of the jaw, teeth and surrounding bone, rather than the flat, two-dimensional image a standard X-ray produces. St Ives Smiles has an in-house 3D CBCT scanner, so this is done on-site rather than referred out.
That 3D detail matters most when planning dental implants, bone grafting, sinus lifts and surgical wisdom teeth removal. At St Ives Smiles these are performed by Dr Jeremy Hockey.
What Do Our Digital X-Rays and In-House OPG Show?
Digital X-ray sensors are used here rather than film, plus an in-house OPG (orthopantomogram) for full panoramic images. At St Ives Smiles, an image appears on screen within moments, which your dentist reviews with you.
An OPG covers both jaws in one wide pass, useful when planning needs the bigger picture rather than a close-up. It works alongside the close-up X-rays, not instead of them, and supports the diagnostic work behind every general dentistry appointment.
What Is Digital Smile Design?
Digital smile design is preview software that lets you see a proposed outcome before cosmetic dentistry begins, including veneers or clear aligners.
The software builds a visual plan from photos and, where relevant, scan data from the intraoral scanner. Think of it as a starting point for the conversation rather than a promise of the exact result: your dentist talks through what is realistic for your teeth before anything is booked.
Our Soft-Tissue Laser
St Ives Smiles uses a soft-tissue laser for certain soft-tissue procedures, operated within the laser safety standard AS/NZS 4173. Dental lasers are classified by hazard, and the higher classes need specific safety controls in use.
Your dentist will explain when a soft-tissue laser is the right tool for your treatment, and what to expect from the procedure.
How Do We Track Instrument Sterilisation?
Every instrument is barcode-scanned as part of sterilisation, creating a per-patient sterilisation record. Each patient’s instruments can be traced back through the process individually, not just at batch or day level.
It is a quiet piece of behind-the-scenes safety that applies to every visit, from a routine check-up to a surgical procedure.
Sedation Options for Nervous Patients
For anxious patients, we offer nitrous oxide (happy gas) and oral sedation in-house, both minimal sedation techniques that help you relax while staying fully awake and responsive, plus IV (twilight) sedation via a visiting sedationist. None is a general anaesthetic.
There’s more detail, including how each option works, on our sedation dentistry page.
Want to know which tools your treatment would use?
Book a visit and ask: the team at St Ives Smiles can walk you through what a scan, an X-ray or a same-day crown would involve for your case.
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