Contributed by Dan Rose, a Senior Local Business Guide Specializing in Dental Laboratory Services in New York City
More Queens dental offices now skip the tray of putty and run a small camera wand over your teeth instead, building a 3D model on a screen in a couple of minutes. Most patients never ask what happens to that model afterwards, who gets to see it, how long it is kept, or whether they can have a copy.
The answers are more useful than most people expect, especially if you ever change dentists, crack a crown, or lose a night guard.
What the scan actually is
The wand is an intraoral scanner. It takes a rapid stream of pictures as it moves around your mouth, and software stitches them into a three-dimensional model of your teeth and gums. The finished scan is a computer file, usually a few dozen megabytes, that can be rotated, measured and sent anywhere in seconds.
That file replaces the old rubber impression. It is used to make crowns, bridges, night guards, retainers, clear aligners and implant restorations. For many treatments, it is the single most important record your dentist creates.
Newer scanners also capture colour, so the model shows the pink of your gums, stains on your teeth and the edges of old fillings. Older files may be plain grey. Both record the shape of your teeth accurately enough to make a crown, but the colour versions are larger and carry more detail. That is worth knowing if you ever ask for a copy, because the office may hold more than one version of the same scan.
Where it travels after you leave
Most scans leave the office the same day. The scanner’s software sends the file, along with your dentist’s written instructions, to the dental laboratory that will make your restoration. That usually happens through a secure cloud service run by the scanner’s maker. Some offices export the file and upload it to the lab’s own portal instead.
At the lab, a technician uses the scan to design your crown or appliance on screen, then mills or 3D-prints it. The lab may keep the file so it can remake the piece later. Your dentist’s office keeps its own copy as part of your chart.
So a single scan often lives in at least three places: your dentist’s records, the scanner company’s cloud, and the lab’s case files.
Who is allowed to see it
A dental scan tied to your name is health information. Under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, your dentist may share it with others involved in your treatment, such as the lab making your crown or a specialist you are referred to, without separate written permission. Sharing it for unrelated purposes, such as marketing, generally requires your authorisation.
New York adds its own protections. Section 18 of the state’s Public Health Law gives patients a right to inspect and copy their own records, and the State Education Department treats a dentist’s records as something that must be kept accurately and securely.
Not every company that scans teeth is a dental office, however. Some direct-to-consumer services operate under different rules from your dentist. If you were scanned at a mall kiosk or through a mail-order aligner company, read their privacy policy rather than assuming HIPAA applies the same way.
How long your dentist must keep it
New York’s rule for dentists and most other licensed health professions is in 8 NYCRR §29.2(a)(3), part of the Rules of the Board of Regents. Patient records must be kept for at least six years. Records of a minor must be kept for at least six years and until one year after the patient turns 21, whichever comes later.
Working it through with real dates
Take an adult scanned for a crown in September 2026. The office must keep that record until at least September 2032.
Now take a 12-year-old, born in June 2014, scanned for a retainer in September 2026. Six years runs to September 2032. But the child turns 21 in June 2035, and one year after that is June 2036. The later date wins, so the scan must be kept until at least June 2036. That is almost ten years, nearly four years longer than the adult rule.
Those are minimums. Many offices keep digital records much longer, partly because storing a file costs almost nothing.
How to get a copy, and how fast
You can ask for your scan the same way you would ask for X-rays. Put the request in writing, and be specific: ask for the 3D scan files of both arches and your bite, in STL format, which almost any dental office or lab can open.
Two sets of deadlines apply. New York’s Public Health Law §18 requires a provider to give you the chance to inspect your records within 10 days of a written request, with copies provided within a reasonable time. The federal HIPAA access rule requires a covered provider to act on a request within 30 days, with one possible 30-day extension if the provider tells you in writing why it needs more time.
Suppose you hand in a written request on Monday, October 5, 2026. Under state law, you should be offered the chance to inspect your records by October 15. Under HIPAA, the copy is due by November 4, or December 4 at the latest if the office takes the extension and explains why.
For paper copies, New York caps the charge at 75 cents per page. For electronic files, the charge must be limited to the provider’s reasonable costs. An office cannot refuse you access only because you cannot pay.
Why a copy is worth having
A scan on file can save you a visit, and sometimes real money. If you move or change dentists, your new office can see exactly what your teeth looked like before. If a night guard is lost or cracked, a recent scan can often be used to make a new one without another appointment, provided your teeth have not moved. If a crown breaks, the original scan gives the new lab a reference for its shape.
Scans also record change over time. Comparing an old scan with a new one can show wear from grinding, gum recession or teeth shifting, in a way that is hard to see from photographs.
Questions worth asking at your next appointment
You do not need to become an expert in dental software to look after your own records. A few plain questions, asked once, cover most of it.
Ask whether the office keeps your scans as part of your permanent chart, and in what format. Ask which lab your crown, bridge or appliance is going to, and roughly when it is due back. If you are being treated for grinding, ask whether a baseline scan can be kept so future wear can be measured against it.
If you have children in orthodontic treatment, ask whether the office will give you copies of the starting and finishing scans. They are a permanent record of how the teeth were moved, and they can help if a retainer is lost years later.
Finally, if anything about how your information is shared makes you uneasy, ask to see the office’s Notice of Privacy Practices. Every dental office covered by HIPAA must have one and give it to patients.
Where this goes wrong
You ask for “your scan” and get a picture of it
Some offices send a PDF or screenshot of the 3D model. That is useful for your memory and useless for a lab. Ask specifically for the STL, PLY or OBJ files, and confirm that the upper arch, lower arch and bite are all included.
An old scan is used for something new
Teeth move, slowly but constantly, and a crown or appliance must fit your mouth as it is today. A night guard made from a two-year-old scan may not seat properly. Your dentist will decide whether a scan is recent enough. Do not assume an old file guarantees a free remake.
The scan went to the wrong place
Scanner software remembers the labs an office has used. If an office has changed labs, a case can occasionally be sent to the old default and sit unnoticed. If your restoration is late, it is fair to ask which lab received the scan and when.
The practice closes or changes hands
New York requires dentists who retire or sell a practice to make arrangements for records to be kept and made available. Those arrangements are not always well publicised. If you hear that your dentist is retiring, request copies of your records, including scans, before the practice closes.
You assume a consumer scan is protected like a dental record
As noted above, a company that scans teeth directly for consumers may not be bound by the same rules as your dentist. Know who holds your scan and under what terms before you hand over your details.
If you are curious how labs on the other end receive and check these files, there is a fuller explanation of how dental labs work with intraoral scanners, written for dentists but readable by anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is a digital dental scan the same as an X-ray?
No. A scan uses light and records only the visible surfaces of your teeth and gums. It involves no radiation and cannot show what is inside a tooth or under the gum. X-rays are still needed for that.
Can I ask my dentist not to send my scan anywhere?
You can discuss it, but if the scan is needed to make your crown or appliance, it has to reach the lab that makes it. You can ask which lab is being used and how the file is sent.
Can I bring my own scan to a new dentist?
Yes. Many offices will accept a scan file from a previous dentist as a reference, although most will want their own new scan before making a new restoration.
How long does a scan take?
A full scan of both arches and the bite usually takes a few minutes. It is often quicker, and more comfortable, than waiting for an impression material to set.
Does my child’s orthodontic scan get kept longer?
In New York, yes. Records for minors must be kept for at least six years and until one year after the patient turns 21, whichever is later.
This article is general information, not legal or dental advice. Rules on records and privacy can change; ask your dentist’s office about its own policies, and consult a lawyer for questions about your specific rights.
For dentists sending scans to a lab
Practices that want a New York lab set up to receive cases from the major intraoral scanners can reach the team here.
Ultimate Dental, Denture, Crown & Implants Lab
5 Pennsylvania Plaza #613, New York, NY 10001
(646) 916-1131
