What Failed Scans Really Cost (and How Labs Can Avoid Them)

What Does a Failed Intraoral Scan Really Cost?

Failed intraoral scans seem like a small issue — a quick retake, a brief delay.
But the real cost is much higher and affects workflow, patient experience, and ultimately revenue.

The Chain Reaction of a Failed Scan

Here’s what typically happens:

Day 1 — case submitted
Day 2 — lab reviews
❌ 7–12% of scans don’t meet QC → retake requested

This triggers delays and extra work:

• the doctor’s team must contact the patient and reschedule
• treatment start gets pushed by ~2 weeks
• chair time for a simple rescan costs $150 (assistant) + $300 (doctor)
• and the biggest risk: some patients never return

A lost case — such as an aligner case — can cost around $5,000.

Why Labs Often “Fix It Digitally”

To avoid losing the case, labs often repair borderline scans digitally.
It solves the problem short-term, but creates others:

• more refinements later
• inconsistent results
• extra technician workload

It’s a workaround, not a scalable QC process.

A Better Way: Automated QC

To help labs reduce retakes and maintain consistent quality control, we’re building the Movix QC AI Agent.

It automatically reviews STL files, flags issues, and applies your QC standards — quickly and consistently across all cases.

Want to See It in Action?

Book a quick demo with us.