FOR PROVIDERS

Case submission requirements

Everything you need to submit a clear aligner case for planning. Get the records right the first time and your case moves straight into treatment planning. Use this as your pre-submission checklist, then create the case on the design platform.

RECORDS

Accurate records

Submit a clean, full-arch digital scan, or accurate physical impressions, capturing clear margins and a true bite. The records are the foundation the whole case is planned on, so quality here prevents avoidable refinements later. Distortions, voids or missing margins lead to ill-fitting aligners and avoidable refinements, so getting records right the first time saves time for everyone.

Impression guidelines

• PVS / Impregum, use the correct tray size (rear molars covered); overflow both ends to capture the distal of the 2nd molars (and 8’s if present); capture 2 to 4 mm of gingival tissue; inspect for air bubbles, double impressions, missing anatomy, push-through or blended tooth and gingiva; re-take any with defects. Alginate is not accepted.
• Digital, capture 2 to 4 mm of gingival tissue, follow the manufacturer’s ortho and arch scanning guidelines, take an accurate bite in centric occlusion (not edge-to-edge), and rescan if there’s debris or missing anatomy.

File formats

Intra-oral scans can be exported as .stl files for third-party software, or sent through the free Connect Case Centre. Scans of impressions can also be sent directly to the lab. To create a case you submit a .zip file containing your quality-control images and, or, scans, named with the patient’s name (for example patient_name.zip).

For the detail on scanning technique, see the scan strategy guide and the art of impression taking.

PRESCRIPTION

A complete prescription

Include a complete treatment prescription stating your treatment goals and any specific instructions. The clearer the brief, the closer the proposed plan will be to what you want. The prescription form for clear aligner design covers your instructions for each case, including general and patient information, the anterior and posterior relation, levelling, overjet and overbite, periodontal status, midline and tooth size, the treatment specification (3-3, 5-5 or 7-7, IPR, attachments), posterior crossbite and any additional comments for the planners.

The doctor is solely responsible for the completion and interpretation of x-rays and other diagnostic records.

SUBMIT

Package and submit

Only the dental professional’s login can create a new case for that practice on the platform. Select all your quality-control images, right-click and choose Send to, then Compressed (zipped) folder, and name the .zip file with the patient’s name when saving (for example patient_name.zip). The case is created on the design portal, where the lab adds your scans, or scans of your impressions, and treatment planning begins. Send scans to smile@smileclub.co.za.

If you are sending physical impressions to the lab, include the impression collection slip so your submission is logged and routed correctly. By South African law, nothing can be manufactured without a lab slip.