invisalign · technology
The iTero Lumina: see the result before you start.
The iTero Lumina is the newest generation of Invisalign's scanner, and it changed the part of orthodontics patients used to dread twice: the impressions. No trays, no gag reflex negotiation — a wand passes over your teeth and a complete digital model appears in minutes.
The Lumina's wider field of view captures more per pass than earlier iTero units: scans finish faster, which matters most for kids, gaggers, and anyone who has white-knuckled an impression tray.
What the scan gives you
Precision, first: the digital model feeds your Invisalign plan directly, with no distortion from impression material on its way to the lab. Your aligners are built from exactly what the wand saw.
And the preview: from your scan, you see a projection of your finished smile before agreeing to anything. It turns the decision from an act of faith into an informed yes — or an informed no, which we respect just as much.
Beyond Invisalign
The same scanning replaces impressions for crowns, implant restorations, and retainers — anywhere dentistry used to need a tray of goop. It also gives your doctors a precise record over time, so change in your mouth is measured rather than remembered.
The full picture of the equipment in this building lives on our technology page; the Lumina earns this page because it changes what your first Invisalign visit feels like.
Questions we hear in the chair
- Does the scan involve radiation?
- No — the iTero Lumina is an optical scanner. It photographs and maps; it doesn't X-ray. Any imaging your case needs beyond the scan is discussed separately and plainly.
- How long does the scan take?
- Minutes. The Lumina's wider capture makes it noticeably quicker than earlier scanners — most patients are surprised when it's already over.
- Is the smile projection a guarantee?
- It's a plan, not a promise — a clinically-based projection of where the plan takes your teeth. Progress is checked against it throughout, and plans are adjusted openly if your teeth negotiate.
- I gag easily. Honestly, how bad is it?
- This is the machine that retired that worry. The wand sits toward the front of your mouth, there's no material setting against your palate, and pauses are yours to call. Tell us when you book — pacing it is easy.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday.