Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
by Dr Matthew Salameh, Haberfield Dental Practice, NSW
I purchased the iTero Element 2 in 2018 and it was a very solid unit. We didn’t have any issues but I wanted to upgrade to something faster. There was a great promotion for the Itero Lumina and I purchased one in December 2024.
What’s good about it
The scanning speed has improved significantly compared to our old unit. The results are very realistic and patient friendly. Snapshots of the teeth can be added to a comprehensive report. The patient simply scans a QR code and receives the report on their phone or computer. It’s a great education tool and encourages treatment acceptance. The unit is also user-friendly to operate.
The Lumina is expensive and there are some good-value alternatives. I’ve been with Itero since 2018 and couldn’t be happier with the service or the products. I’m happy to pay for that reliability and for fantastic after-market service. There’s no third-party provider so when you talk to head office, you always get a good result.
The Lumina comes with an online design platform to design your own splints, crowns and veneers. The software is included in your monthly subscription which is a much better option than paying thousands of dollars for third-party software. Itero works faultlessly with Invisalign but if you’re not using Invisalign, you can still export the STL files to another provider.
What’s not so good
I initially had some issues with my specific unit. Crowns were coming back and not fitting correctly. I spoke to head office and they fixed the problem immediately. I was given a new wand and installed a few software updates. After that, everything was fine. The fault was a one-off, specific to my machine. I like that their response was proactive and they even offered me a new unit if the problem continued.
