Patients visiting Lincoln County Hospital for orthodontic, jaw surgery and dental reconstructive work may now be treated using a new scanner and other pieces of equipment that will remove the need for traditional dental impressions to be taken.
Previously, some patients may have needed several visits for consultations, moulds to be taken of their teeth, a cast to be made using plaster and then further visits for any corrective procedures to be taken.
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity has just funded a new 3D scanner that means traditional impressions may no longer be needed, this then connects to a new 3D printer which can then print a 3D model.
The new digital software also enables the surgical planning for jaw surgery to be completed within 25 minutes, compared to the days it can currently take the team to meticulously carry this out on plaster models.
The charity has also funded another scanner so that all of the existing models that are still needed for patients can be taken out of storage, scanned and kept as a digital record. This will then free up clinical space and remove the need for any further physical storage.
Katie O’Dwyer is an Orthodontic Technician who has worked at the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust for 24 years. She said: “Anyone who has had to have an impression taken of the inside of their mouth will know how it is not a pleasant experience, but they will go through it in order to get the treatment and care they need.
“The great news is that with our new state-of-the-art scanner we will no longer need all of the impressions and plaster to be able to create a cast. We will simply have the scan and then send it to the 3D printer and within the hour we will have a perfectly detailed dental model in our hands.”
Charity Manager, Ben Petts, said: “All of this new equipment has cost just over £50,000. But when you consider the enhanced level of care that it will provide, as well as the time it will save and also the improve patient experience, it is brilliant for everyone involved.
“As a charity we fund the extras not covered by the NHS. We have recently funded social events for children with Type -1 diabetes, the purchase of scalp cooling caps to help reduce hair loss for patients undergoing chemotherapy and the purchase of a new interactive Kitten Scanner to help children prepare for an MRI scan.”
The team hope that once all of the existing models have been scanned and added to the digital records the current storage area could become another clinical area in which to treat even more patients.
Consultant Orthodontist Paul O’Malley said: “This is absolutely brilliant. As well as improving patient experience, it will also mean that whichever hospital site we are at, we will always be able to access all of the information we need without having to transport the models between hospitals. It will save time, money and most importantly it will be so much better for our patients.
“We are so grateful to the charity for their support, it is going to make a real difference for our patients and the enhanced care that we are going to be able to provide.”
More information about the charity and how you can support their work is available on their website United Lincolnshire Hospitals (ulhcharity.org.uk)