Clinical Workflow
What To Do When the Case Sheet Doesn't Name the Implant System
The scan arrives, production is scheduled, and the work order says nothing about which implant system was used. Here is the practical workflow for resolving it — and why guessing has consequences.
The moment of pain
A dental lab receives dozens of cases per day. Many include a brand name — "Straumann," "Nobel," "Zimmer" — on the work order. But a brand name alone does not specify the implant connection. Straumann makes at least five distinct connection platforms across their current product line. Nobel Biocare makes three. A work order that says "Straumann" has told you approximately one-tenth of what you need to know.
Other cases arrive with nothing — no brand, no connection type, no scan body reference. The technician sees the scan and is expected to identify the implant system before importing the scan body model and beginning design.
This is the moment of pain. The scan body is in the file. The implant system it represents is not documented. Production cannot safely begin until the identification is resolved.
Why guessing is dangerous
When a lab designs a crown or bridge to the wrong scan body model, the consequences cascade:
Wrong abutment ordered
The prosthetic component is selected based on the identified implant system. A scan body misidentification leads directly to ordering an abutment with the wrong connection diameter or taper — one that will not seat correctly on the patient's implant.
Design misfits the actual implant
The restoration is designed against the wrong scan body geometry. Even if the wrong abutment is caught before delivery, the design may need to be redone from scratch — the screw access hole, marginal geometry, and emergence profile were all computed relative to the wrong reference.
The remake
A case that proceeds on a wrong scan body identification and reaches try-in will fail at the appointment. The lab remakes it. The patient reschedules. The clinic absorbs the cost or disputes it with the lab. A single misidentification can cost several hours of production time, material costs, and the clinical appointment.
No objective error signal before delivery
Unlike a dimensional error that the CAD software might flag, a scan body misidentification produces no warning. The design looks correct. The digital occlusion checks pass. The error is only discovered when the physical restoration fails to seat — at the patient's appointment.
Practical steps to resolve a missing implant system
When the case sheet is incomplete, work through these steps in order — starting with those that cost the least time and moving toward those that require external coordination:
Check the intraoral scan file for embedded metadata
Some scanner software embeds implant system metadata into the STL or accompanying files at export time. Open the case in the scanner software or check the file header. 3Shape Trios and some Carestream exports attach structured metadata; others do not. If the metadata is present and readable, confirm it against the scan body geometry.
Check for accompanying photos or x-rays
The clinic may have sent periapical or panoramic radiographs with the case. Implant fixture shape, thread pattern, and collar design are often identifiable from a periapical x-ray by a trained technician. Many implant manufacturers publish radiographic appearance guides. If a photo of the implant package, the work order sticker, or the surgical report is present, it takes precedence over any inference from the scan.
Measure the scan body dimensions directly
Open the STL in a viewer that supports measurement tools. The platform diameter — the widest point at the base — is the first discriminating measurement. Most implant systems have platform diameters that, rounded to the nearest 0.5 mm, narrow the field substantially. Record the height of the scan body and the approximate top-cap width as well. Cross-reference against platform size codes (NP/RP/WP conventions) and a manufacturer catalog.
Call the referring clinic
The implant system is always recorded somewhere — in the patient's surgical report, the implant registry card, or the implant sticker attached to the surgical package. A two-minute call to the clinic's coordinator resolves the majority of documentation failures. Ask for: manufacturer, implant line, and platform diameter. If the implant was placed at a different practice, ask for the referral contact.
Upload the STL for automated identification
If the manual steps above have not resolved the identification, automated scan body fingerprinting is the fastest remaining option. Upload the STL file and receive a confidence-rated result: CONFIRMED (strong geometric match with a wide margin over the next candidate), POSSIBLE (plausible but verify against the work order), or LOW (insufficient confidence — the body may not yet be indexed). A CONFIRMED result gives the lab a specific manufacturer, platform, and model to verify against the clinic record before production begins.
When to hold the case rather than proceed
If the automated result returns POSSIBLE or LOW confidence, and the clinic cannot provide documentary confirmation of the implant system, do not begin production. The cost of holding a case for one working day while documentation is obtained is always less than the cost of a remake.
The verification rule
No automated identification tool — including ScanBodAI — replaces verification against the patient's implant record. An automated result is a signal to assist the clinician or lab technician. The result should always be cross-checked against what the dentist ordered before production begins. If the implant documentation and the automated identification agree, proceed with confidence. If they conflict, investigate before proceeding.
Identify it now
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