Align Technology has unveiled its latest cutting-edge development to the profession in the shape of the Itero Lumina scanner.
The global technology giant announced the scanner with a globally synchronised livestream that unveiled the Lumina to an eager dental audience.
The new scanner is lighter and smaller than its predecessor, but boasts an improved field of capture. Scan times are faster and accuracy is increased as a result – along with ergonomics and comfort.
Speaking at the launch, Align’s UK&I general manager hailed the new unit as ‘changing the entire future of intraoral scanning’.
The Itero Lumina scanner is available for pre-order now from Align.
Key features of the Itero Lumina scanner
The Itero Lumina scanner offers a number of improvements on its predecessors, the Itero Element 5D and Itero Plus Series:
- Three times larger field of capture
- Capture distance of up to 25mm
- 50% smaller scan wand
- 45% lighter scan wand.
The Itero Lumina generates photorealistic scans that rival intraoral photography, improving patient communication. The scanner is currently indicated for orthodontic work but restorative indications – and other functionality such as caries detection – will be added in future updates, expected before the end of 2024.
But there is one key feature that’s available from the off, thanks to the increased field of capture. The Itero Lumina scanner is better equipped to deal with large edentulous spans, and particularly excels at capturing palate detail.
For Dominic Mumbra, Align’s senior supervisor for Itero training, this is one of the most exciting benefits.
He explains: ‘Palate scanning has always been challenging, particularly in deep-vaulted palates. It made it challenging to digitise a practice completely. But with the Itero Lumina you can now scan the upper arch and accidentally capture the palate because it’s that good. Being able to scan the palate easily is, honestly, mind-blowing.’
Multi-direct capture
Align was keen to stress that the Itero Lumina scanner is more than an iteration on existing technology. Rather, the new unit has been developed from the ground up to offer a completely fresh approach.
Gone is the confocal imaging of the Itero Element series, replaced with a fresh innovation that Align calls ‘multi-direct capture’ technology. The scanner uses multiple cameras that allow simultaneous capture from multiple angles. This makes it possible to capture more dentition in a single uninterrupted movement.
Dominic said: ‘To deliver the improvements we were looking for, we had to go back to the drawing board and basically create a new level of technology – one that doesn’t make any trade-offs on the patient or user experience, while still enhancing the performance of the actual wand. The end result has been fantastic.
‘The technology inside the Itero Lumina scanner allows us to increase the field of view – the amount of data we can capture – by up to three times, and increase the depth of view to up to 25 millimetres. That really enhances the performance of the scanner, because increasing the field of view means we can create a scan faster and more effectively.
‘Scanning shouldn’t be something that takes a long time. The Itero Lumina means that dental professionals can spend less time scanning and more time on the patient – the part that drives education and conversion.’
Breakthrough technology
Evren Koksal, general manager of Align UK & Ireland explained his own excitement at bringing the scanner to dental professionals.
‘This is a breakthrough technology,’ he said.
‘The Itero Lumina scanner is something we’ve been working on for the last six years. A lot of money has been spent on this technology and I’m really proud to finally bring it to our dentists and orthodontists. We have been listening to their feedback through the years, and it’s amazing to see that feedback come to fruition. The Lumina is amazingly fast. It’s intuitive, it’s light: it’s everything that you need in a scanner. We are almost changing the entire future of intraoral scanning.’
Speaking on the livestream was Align Technology executive vice president and managing director for iTero scanners and service, Karim Boussebaa. He extolled the virtues of the new scanner.
‘We’re excited to introduce the next generation of Itero scanning technology that pushes the boundaries of what the industry has come to expect from a scanner,’ he said.
‘The Itero Lumina scanner creates a new standard in digital scanning that achieves exceptional clinical outcomes through more detailed data capture and highly accurate, photorealistic images; increases practice efficiency with an effortless, faster scanning experience; and delivers an elevated, more comfortable experience for clinicians and patients.’
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