An implant-level scan can support a multi-unit restoration in a specifically documented workflow. It is not enough to change the restoration name in CAD and assume the geometry remains correct. The scan body, library selection and planned abutment must belong to the same supported chain.
For clinicians and laboratory teams, the first question is what was physically scanned. The second is whether the selected library documents the transition to the intended restoration.
Separate the two recording routes
| Route | Physical reference | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Scan an installed abutment | A scan body for the actual abutment-level connection | Scan body identity and a matching documented library |
| Use a supported virtual abutment workflow | The implant-level component defined by that workflow | Manufacturer documentation for the virtual abutment selection and associated restorative components |
The DESS Library Guide describes a specific 3Shape category that scans at implant level and mounts the desired multi-unit or UniAbutment virtually. It also ties the relevant Ti-base closing line to kit selection and abutment height. This is evidence of a particular supported route, not permission to apply the same conversion to every system or CAD library.
The guide also distinguishes abutment-level scan components. Read the description of the selected kit, not just a folder name containing "multi-unit." Product names and library organization can differ between systems.
Send a case packet the designer can verify
A mesh file with "implant scan" in its name leaves several unanswered questions. Send the component record with the files. Use the following packet as a starting point for discussion with the receiving laboratory.
- Physical scan reference
- Identify whether the scan body was attached to the implant or an installed abutment. Include its manufacturer and reference number.
- Implant and abutment record
- Supply the confirmed system and platform. State whether the proposed MUA is already installed or is part of a virtual plan.
- Library selection
- List the library supplier, version and selected kit. Attach the supplier's description of the intended workflow.
- Restorative components
- Name the planned abutment and Ti-base, including the dimensions that the library requires.
- Unresolved fields
- Mark missing or uncertain identities explicitly. Ask the laboratory which information prevents it from accepting the scan.
A screenshot can show what the designer selected, but it does not establish the identity of the part that was in the mouth. Keep the physical component record and software selection together.
When the documented chain cannot be established
Pause design if the scan body cannot be identified or if the proposed virtual abutment route is undocumented. Ask the manufacturer or laboratory to establish which workflow applies. A new clinical record or scan may be needed; the presence of a usable-looking STL does not settle that question.
Do not substitute an apparently similar library and compensate for an unexplained offset by eye. The DESS guide to framework misfit connects accurate design to the match between the physical component and its CAD representation.
This article does not prescribe a sequence of software clicks. A command that exists in one release may be absent or behave differently in another. The component documentation is the starting point; the laboratory's current software workflow must then implement it correctly.
Keep the accepted packet with the restoration
Before manufacture, ask the designer to return the accepted component list and any resolved changes. Retain it with the final prescription so a remake does not start from a file whose component assumptions have been lost.
For background, see CAD/CAM implant dentistry. The separate Ti-base bridge specification concerns the intended restoration, while the scan packet records how its position was captured.
Manufacturer sources accessed October 12, 2026. Supported workflow examples must be checked against the current documentation for the exact components and CAD system.