Photogrammetry is becoming a key tool in full-arch implant workflows, offering highly accurate implant position capture without the need for verification jigs. By recording the spatial relationship between multi-unit abutments, these systems ensure passivity, making same-day delivery more predictable.
While most systems on the market are a “one-trick pony” and only capture implant data, photogrammetry is now evolving into a broader data collection ecosystem. New accessories and modules are expanding the scope of what photogrammetry can do. This article explores how emerging systems and add-ons are pushing photogrammetry beyond its original role, and how these innovations are reshaping digital implant dentistry.
Expanding Capabilities for Modern Digital Demands
In its early adoption phase, photogrammetry was primarily used to capture the angular relationship between implants in full-arch cases. Traditional analog verification jigs were time-consuming and prone to inaccuracies through human error. Photogrammetry changed that by providing a digital, repeatable alternative that allowed clinicians to record implant positions with micron-level accuracy.
As the technology matured, it became clear that the value of photogrammetry extended beyond capturing the angles and positions of implants alone. Modern workflows now demand more: soft-tissue data, digital verification of passive fit, seamless integration with design software, and easy-to-use form factors. Today’s photogrammetry systems are not just implant scanners; they are modular data platforms designed to support a complete digital workflow.
Multiple systems are now available to support advanced photogrammetric workflows, each with its own strengths and limitations:
• MicronMapper (ClaroNav, Claronav.com): Introduced in 2022, the MicronMapper is expanding the capability of photogrammetry by allowing users to not only scan multi-unit abutments, but also capture the post-op tissue, something that was previously a very difficult task in a bloody environment with an intraoral scanner (IOS). My personal favorite add-on is called Fit Check (Figure 1), which allows labs to verify the manufacturing accuracy of their prosthetic using photogrammetry and ensure nothing warped during sintering or 3D printing before sending the restoration to the doctor. These technological advances help to prevent costly remakes and reduce a patient’s time spent in the chair.
• PIC (PIC dental, Picdental.com): Introduced in 2010, PIC was the first dental photogrammetry system on the market. Known for high-speed acquisition and reliable accuracy, PIC pro remains a widely adopted system for chairside workflows. Their latest release, the PIC app (Figure 2), allows users to capture implant data with a cell phone. Though it is much slower than other systems on the market and operates under a “pay-per-implant” model, this tool makes photogrammetry more accessible for lower-volume offices without the high upfront costs of other systems.
• Aoralscan Elite (Shining 3D, Shining3ddental.com): Although it is marketed as a photogrammetry solution and IOS combined, this system actually uses structured light and scan-body recognition algorithms to capture implant data. In contrast, true photogrammetry systems use multi-camera triangulation from separate viewpoints to capture implant data. This lightweight and cost-effective unit could be a good solution for low-volume offices that already have a need for an IOS. The ability to capture implant data more accurately than standard IOS scan bodies, along with tissue and bite information, makes this an interesting all-in-one unit.
As digital dentistry evolves, photogrammetry is proving to be more than an implant capture technique—it’s becoming the foundation for full-arch precision. With accessory tools like Fit Check for passive fit verification, Tissue Mapper for soft-tissue capture, and the PIC app for accessibility, the role of photogrammetry now extends into validation, design, and delivery.
Systems differ in terms of hardware and workflow, but the trend is clear: Modular tools and software integration are pushing photogrammetry into streamlined digital dental treatment. Whether through multi-camera triangulation or structured-light hybrids, the goal remains the same: accuracy, efficiency, and confidence at every step.
As the line between clinics, labs, scanning, design, and manufacturing continues to blur, photogrammetry offers a platform that brings those steps closer together—and brings clinicians, labs, and patients better results.
Blake Roney, Director of Digital Technology at S.I.N. 360
Degree in Engineering Graphics Tempe, Arizona
@CADCAMBLAKE
Figures and Images
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