Status quo of intraoral scanner companies-2

Densply Sirona: The Leader in Same-Day Dentistry

Densply Sirona CEREC has long been recognized as the premier chairside solution provider for same-day dentistry and is a pioneer in intraoral scanning technology.

Prior to 2019, the Omnicam scanner faced challenges in competitiveness against the 3shape Trios 3 and Carestream CS 3600, coupled with the limitations of the closed CEREC system. This led to a decline in Densply Sirona's intraoral scanner business. However, in 2019, they introduced the Primescan intraoral scanner during IDS2019, which helped them regain their position as a top-tier scanner. Despite this, the intraoral scanner market has experienced price reductions in recent years, and Densply Sirona's high pricing and the large&heavy handpiece of the Primescan have posed challenges, resulting in a premium scanner with a small market share as a CEREC chairside scanner.

Since 2020, more intraoral scanners have integrated CAD software, and there are now more reliable milling unit options. Dentists have a variety of chairside solutions to choose from, which has further weakened the advantage of the CEREC solution. While everyone acknowledges that CEREC is the best chairside solution available, its high price point has made it less appealing during economic downturns.

To adapt to the trend of decreasing intraoral scanner prices and meet diverse needs, Dentsply Sirona announced a new Primescan configuration at DS World 2022: Primescan Connect. This new laptop-based Primescan is priced at approximately $20,000 (excluding tax and shipping for the end user) and includes the DS core platform. Although Densply Sirona now offers a digital impression scanner option for scan-and-send-to-lab workflows, they have been cautious in making Primescan Connect a fully open scanner. They have restricted PLY/OBJ export and locked the CEREC design software and milling unit integration, deliberate differentiations to avoid affecting the high sales prices of the Primescan and CEREC chairside solutions.

From the perspective of the intraoral scanner needs pyramid, Densply Sirona is well-known as a premium intraoral scanner brand and a leading Chairside solution brand for same-day dentistry. The Primescan boasts top-tier scanner performance, excellent patient engagement features, and a semi-closed CAD/CAM system. Additionally, the DS core platform offers patient engagement, diagnosis, treatment applications, and lab ordering capabilities. In conclusion, the Denply Sirona Primescan intraoral scanner is highly rated for meeting dentists' diverse needs. However, past strategies that were once successful can now hinder development, as the high pricing and semi-open CEREC system limit Densply Sirona's market share.

As AI CAD software continues to mature, the Cerec Chairside System will face increased competition. Similar to the 3shape Trios and Alliedstar AS scanners, the Primescan also offers superior original capture image quality (raw data), ensuring fast and high-quality scans.

However, it appears that Sirona does not incorporate ASIC technology within the scanner handpiece, relying solely on the computer for imaging processing. It is unclear how they address the big data transmission issue through wireless connection and achieve wireless intraoral scanning. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Primeprint and the permanent crown and bridge resin can drive Denply Sirona sales to new heights.

Alliedstar: The Rising Star in the Intraoral Scanner Industry

With excellent product definition and an ultimate product concept, Alliedstar's intraoral scanners have good reputation. From the launch of the AS 100 three years ago, to the AS200E, and the AS 260, exceptional products speak for themselves, users recommend Alliedstar intraoral scanner for many reasons, USB scanner for scan and plug, easy to scan, efficient to use, drop resistance, short learning curve, smart scanner, wireless innovations, easy maintenance, realistic color, software apps, and so on. The steady increase in sales has fueled the company's rapid development over the past three years, more talents have joined the company and contributed to making the best efficient/easy to use scanners for dental professionals.  

Since being acquired by Straumann group in September 2023, Alliedstar's development has entered a new phase.

Among all intraoral scanner brands leveraging structured light technology (including Medit, Shining3D, Dexis, Freqty Panda, Runyes, etc.), Alliedstar boasts the strongest comprehensive research and development capabilities. Our R&D team handles everything from hardware to software, even developing our own optical engine—a core component typically outsourced by other intraoral scanner companies. Similar to 3shape Trios, Alliedstar has designed its own ASIC module for real-time data processing within the handpiece, significantly reducing the data size transferred to the computer for computing. This makes Alliedstar's products the least demanding on PC specifications in the market. The ASIC module grants Alliedstar a significant advantage over other competitors in the wireless intraoral scanner sector. As you may have experienced, apart from the Alliedstar AS 200E and 3shape Trios5, most other wireless intraoral scanners suffer from connection issues, unstable connections, unsmooth scanning, and significantly slower speeds compared to wired models. This is because, without an ASIC module, real-time 3D scanning involves substantial data transfer and computing challenges. For instance, Medit's i700 wireless scanner failed with its so-called 6G wireless technology, while Shining3D's Aoralscan3 wireless had to adopt a specific Wi-Fi 6 module standard configured in their all-in-one touch cart only.

Power consumption is another challenge faced by wireless intraoral scanners, except for Alliedstar. You'll find that almost all other wireless intraoral scanners support continuous scanning for about an hour with a snap-on battery, while the Alliedstar AS 200E supports three hours of continuous scanning with an internal, replaceable battery.

On the software side, with recent updates, all Alliedstar intraoral scanner models now excel in scanning edentulous cases. This was previously considered a major reason why many implantologists preferred the 3shape Trios scanner and Densply Sirona Primescan over others. Now, they have another excellent choice: the Alliedstar AS 260 and AS 200E.

As a digital impression scanner, Alliedstar's intraoral scanner is top-notch. For patient engagement, it offers realistic color scan data that is highly appealing and various useful apps such as ortho simulation, smile design, oral health reports, and patient monitoring.

Regarding CAD/CAM workflow integration and the app store, the Alliedstar AS Connect platform has completed software integration with mainstream CAD software and 3D printers. Alliedstar also features an app store on AS Connect, and they are continuously expanding their integration partners and apps on this platform.

In terms of premium features, Alliedstar leads the innovation in wireless intraoral scanners.

Many customers have asked about changes since the Straumann acquisition. I'd say it's fantastic! Every week, new R&D colleagues join us, and we release major software updates every quarter. We have more budget for branding and educational activities, and our team is larger and stronger in all aspects.

With our top-notch wireless intraoral scanner AS 200E and wired intraoral scanner AS 260, coupled with strong collaborations with our partners, I am confident that 2024 will be another fruitful year for our entire team, and Alliedstar will ascend to become one of the top five best-selling intraoral scanner manufacturers.

Whether you are seeking a digital impression scanner solely for scan-and-send-to-lab workflow, a chairside scanner for CAD/CAM workflow in same-day dentistry, an edentulous/denture scanner, an orthodontic scanner, a wireless scanner, considering a second scanner purchase, or exploring trade-in/trade-up options, you can confidently choose an Alliedstar intraoral scanner. Simply determine which model suits your needs and which solution and authorized supplier you prefer.