Dental model
Also called: dental cast, stone model, study model, printed model
A dental model is a copy of a patient’s teeth and gums, poured in dental stone from an impression or printed from a scan. Labs use models to design, build and check restorations and appliances. A working model is the one the restoration is made on, and a study model is kept for planning.
How it shows up between practice and lab
With physical impressions, the model is poured at the practice or at the lab. The two sides should agree who pours it, and how soon.
With scans, the lab decides whether a model is needed at all. Some restorations are designed and finished without one, and others are checked on a printed model.
A practice that wants its models back should say so on the Rx. Models take space, and a lab cannot keep every one.
Read more in digital impressions vs traditional impressions.
Related terms
Updated