So instant, she said, that it has already been introduced as part of the Center for Orthodontics’ everyday procedures. Rancho Mirage, located in the larger Palm Springs area, is a well-to-do community with a significant retirement population – which is notable because Narula has an adult patient base that at times is almost half of her case load.

With CEREC Ortho, the clinician is guided step by step through the scanning process, with acoustic signals, images and brief explanations to assist along the way. Digital impressions can be created in minutes with the CEREC Omnicam, and the intraoral data can be transferred to Align Technology and used as part of the record submission for an Invisalign® treatment.

Though Narula is an early adopter of CAD/CAM dentistry for orthodontics, she said patients already know what to expect in dental technology. “Personal well-being is very important to this community,” she said. “People talk, and they know about what’s possible in orthodontics today. When they walk into the practice, they’re not shopping; they know what they want. Being able to deliver aligners is huge for me.”

Maintaining a high clinical standard has always been important to Narula, who is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and an assistant professor and clinical instructor at Loma Linda University. Her physical impressions were no longer upholding her high standards, and in order for CEREC Ortho to be feasible for her, it needed to be an improvement. “Our first results were amazing, and we never looked back,” she said. “I will never take a step back – even if we couldn’t scan [with CEREC] for some reason, I would reschedule rather than taking an impression. That’s how much faith and passion I have in using this.”