The move to digital dentistry has been gathering pace for years. But something has shifted recently. Practices that were watching from the sidelines, waiting for the right moment and the right platform, are moving. And the direction they are moving in is broader than anyone quite expected.
Richard Wheeler, Head of Digital at Dental Directory, has had a front-row seat. “Demand has been strong and has probably exceeded our expectations in certain areas,” he says. “There’s been a noticeable increase in practices looking to modernise their digital workflows – particularly practices that may have been considering scanning for a while but were waiting for the right platform to move forward with.”
The platform many of them have been waiting for is the iTero Lumina. Six months into its availability through Dental Directory, the picture it is painting of where digital dentistry is heading is a revealing one.
Not just orthodontics; not just aligners
The assumption going in was that uptake would be led by orthodontic and aligner-focused clinics. That has certainly happened. But it is not the whole story. “We’ve also seen a massive push from restorative and implant-led practices,” Richard explains. “A big part of that has been the increasing interest in complete end-to-end digital workflows, particularly when integrating scanners with 3D printing systems.”
This is the Lumina’s real promise: not replacing impressions, but opening up an entirely different way of working. For practices that have built their identity around restorative excellence or complex implant cases, the ability to scan, design, collaborate, and manufacture within a single connected workflow is not an incremental upgrade but a different kind of practice altogether.
The Design Suite changes the equation
One of the most significant factors driving that shift is the iTero Design Suite, included free of charge with every Lumina purchase. Because the platform is built on Exocad – the software already widely used in dental laboratories – clinicians can carry out CAD designs themselves and take direct control over the restorative workflow. Richard describes the reception: “The fact this is included free of charge has been very well received.”
It also transforms the relationship between practice and lab. Through the Exocad integrator, laboratories can send designs back to clinicians for approval before proceeding. “We’ve found this is becoming increasingly important as practices look to improve turnaround times and maintain greater visibility over restorative cases,” Richard notes.
And for situations where scan data needs refinement, iTero Modelling provides an additional safety net: Align’s in-house team can clean up missing scan data or unclear margin lines before the laboratory proceeds. It is the kind of support layer that takes the risk out of going digital for practices still building their confidence.
Accuracy that is opening new doors
Within implant-led workflows, the accuracy conversation around the Lumina has generated particular interest. Richard points to recent white papers around Multi-Direct Capture technology, which have shown results approaching the accuracy thresholds associated with photogrammetry workflows for full-arch implant restorations.[i][ii] “That has generated a huge amount of interest within advanced restorative and implant dentistry,” he says – and it explains why the platform is finding its way into workflows that would once have seemed out of reach for an intraoral scanner.
Easier than you think. Faster than you expect.
If practitioners remain on the fence, Richard addresses this: “Once clinicians see how quickly they can capture accurate scans and communicate treatment visually with patients, it tends to change perceptions quite quickly.” The learning curve is shorter than most expect, and the onboarding support – from both iTero and Dental Directory – covers the full journey from initial conversations through to installation and post-installation care.
His advice to any practice principal considering the investment is to think bigger than the scanner itself. “The bigger conversation is around workflow efficiency, patient experience, digital integration, and future-proofing the practice,” he says. “It’s important to ask how the scanner will fit into existing workflows, what clinical applications you want to utilise, and how you want to develop digitally over the next few years.”
Dental Directory joined the British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show at the NEC Birmingham in mid-May, where interest in the Lumina and other digital workflows was considerable. If you missed the chance to see the scanner in action, the conversation does not have to stop there.
For more information on the products and maintenance services available from Dental Directory, please visit ddgroup.com or call 0800 585 586 
[i] iTeroEd – Fully digital workflow for full-arch implant rehabilitation with iTero Multi-Direct CaptureTM technology. Iteroed.com. Published 2025. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.iteroed.com/en-SG/materials/6DKTlBpeozt5qdBy45qqaM
[ii] iTeroEd – Empowering Small Practices: Advantages and clinical applications of iTeroTM Design Suite, a CAD software powered by exocadTM in Chairside Dentistry. Iteroed.com. Published 2026. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.iteroed.com/en-SG/materials/mNkBqMYWDZdlxdreAKxaD
