Will digital impressions become a standard of care?

With all the Advantages of digital impressions and with the emergence on the 2nd generation of Intraoral Scanners is now the time that the dental landscape transitions to digital?

With most dental labs thinking of purchasing an open scanner or have already purchased an open scanner - the dental `grid' is now here to support any dentist that decides to move to an intraoral impression taking device.
Back in 2010 we believe this digital dental infrastructure was just emerging to support clinicians, now in 2012 it's here ready and waiting on dentists to make the transition into digital.
This is a great article from AEGIS Communications for more on this please read below or click http://www.dentalaegis.com/id/2010/02/question-will-digital-impressions-become-a-standard-of-care

Question: Will digital impressions become a standard of care?

Richard Simonsen, DDS, MS ; Pinhas Adar, MDT, CDT ; Paul Feuerstein, DMD ; Gregg A. Helvey, DDS

Will, or when? The short answer to “will” is of course (in my opinion) a resounding “yes!” But the real question in my mind is “when?”
Digital impressions offer many advantages, more obvious perhaps for the patient initially, but benefits for the dentist and the technician are also highly significant. The technology is here, as can be seen from the ever-expanding array of commercial products available. The cost and the acceptance time needed for the ongoing developing technology will, however, hold back the full adoption of the technology for many practitioners for some time to come.
We have, of course, had digital impressioning with CAD/CAM systems for years. Although pioneering versions are here, what remains to be refined and accepted by the profession is the full-arch impression. The digital full-arch impression would eliminate many steps in making impressions, such as tray selection, dispensing and set up of materials, and disinfection and shipping of impressions that are subject to distortion. Such technology would eliminate patient gagging during impression taking. Digital files would allow for rapid communication with the laboratory, and a record that does not distort or deteriorate with time. “Re-pouring” the impression can be done with equal accuracy to the original. Initial data suggest that remake rates will plunge with digital technology—something that all stakeholders—clinicians, laboratory technicians, and patients—will welcome.

It is, of course, folly to try to predict when the life span of a material or a technique will gain full acceptance, or run its course. While patients and dentists alike will welcome the digitization of the impressioning step, the old ways from compound or rubber base to polyvinyl siloxane will only die out slowly (just look at dental amalgam). It is the younger, more flexible, and adaptive early-adopters who will be enamored by, and who will work to overcome, the early problems with digital impression taking, which will become the standard of care.