Intraoral Scan Acceptance

Every incoming scan file moves through a four-stage digital intake pipeline built on 3Shape Communicate and Medit Link as the primary transfer rails. When the scan lands, an assigned technician opens the file within the same business day, runs a margin completeness check, and flags any areas where the capture does not give the lab enough data to proceed without a retake. That flag goes back to the doctor's practice in writing, with a screenshot of the specific zone, inside two hours. No voicemail tag, no vague rejection notice. File format handling is built into the intake protocol, not bolted on as an afterthought. Native .constructionfile (3Shape), .medit, .itero, .cab, and PLY mesh exports are all accepted directly. The lab does not charge a conversion fee and does not require the practice to export to a lowest-common-denominator STL before submitting. The technician assigned to the case receives the file in the native format where possible, which preserves color texture data useful for shade reference on anterior cases. For implant cases, the scan acceptance protocol includes a CBCT overlay step when the referring clinician provides a DICOM file alongside the intraoral scan. The technician merges both datasets inside 3Shape implant planning software to verify emergence profile clearance and abutment angulation before any milling order is placed. This step catches prosthetic-surgical misalignments that only become visible when soft-tissue and bone data appear in the same virtual space, a class of problem that purely scan-based workflows miss entirely. Practices running a DSO model across multiple locations submit scans through a single shared portal account. Each location retains its own case history and prescription record, but billing and turnaround reporting roll up to one administrative view. The setup takes under 30 minutes and does not require IT involvement on the practice side. For the 10-to-30-office segment in particular, that single-account structure eliminates the courier coordination and billing fragmentation that drives labs out of multi-location accounts inside 18 months. Quality checkpoints do not disappear once the digital file clears intake. After the CAD technician completes the design, a second technician performs an independent occlusal clearance and margin seating review using the same 3Shape Communicate viewer the prescribing dentist used to submit the case. Any discrepancy between the lab's design and the submitted occlusal record is documented in the case notes and shared with the doctor before the file goes to mill. The doctor can approve, request an adjustment, or call the technician directly using the direct line attached to every case confirmation.