Guide · Digital workflow
How to export STL from DEXIS and Carestream scanners
On DEXIS IS and Carestream CS scanners, files leave through ScanFlow's Export step as STL, or PLY with texture (HD 3D). The bite STL, IS Connect and our portal.
Short answer
On DEXIS IS scanners and the Carestream CS scanners before them, scans leave through ScanFlow's Export step: save them as STL or PLY to a folder you choose. STL is the format every lab software opens; PLY carries a texture image when HD 3D is on. Attach the files to your order in the Smile portal.
Step by step
- 01
Record the bite with enough captures
Take at least three buccal bite captures on a partial arch (at the prep, mesial and distal) and four on a full arch, at the molars and canines on both sides. Check that the bite seats before moving on.
- 02
Turn on the bite registration output
In the save preferences, the bite registration output writes each bite relationship as its own STL, next to the arches. That's the file that lets the technician readjust the bite in CAD.
- 03
Turn on HD 3D if color matters
In the color preferences, HD 3D makes the PLY come out with a texture image file. Without it, the PLY has no texture, and STL never carries color.
- 04
Open the save tab in the Export step
At the end of the workflow, go to the Export step and click the save icon: the export window opens on the save-to-folder tab, separate from the send tab.
- 05
Pick folder, format and clinical indication
Choose the target folder, the file format and the clinical indication, then save. If the preparation check is on, confirm each item on its list before the file goes out.
- 06
Attach the files to your Smile portal order
Build the order in the portal with the services and teeth (FDI numbering) and attach the arches and the bite STL. For implant work, add the implant brand, platform and scan body model.
Which format should you export from DEXIS or Carestream?
From DEXIS and Carestream scanners, STL is the universal, colorless file. PLY is the color format: with HD 3D on, it comes with a texture image. DCM is the format for Carestream’s own programs and needs a dedicated viewer on the lab’s side.
| format | keeps color? | when to use it |
|---|---|---|
| STL | no | crowns, implant work and full-arch cases; the format our portal accepts |
| PLY | yes, with a texture image when HD 3D is on | esthetic cases, so the technician sees tissue and teeth in color |
| Bite STL | no | saved next to the arches when the bite registration output is on, one file per bite relationship |
| DCM | Carestream’s format | for CS Restore and CS Model+; the lab would have to install CS Mesh Viewer |
| CSZ | a copy of the raw data | a backup for your practice, not for the lab |
The steps on this page follow the CS ScanFlow user guide (Carestream, 2021). In IS ScanFlow, DEXIS keeps the four-step flow, Scan, Check, Adapt and Export, and saving STL or PLY to a folder you choose.
How do you send a case through IS Connect?
IS Connect is DEXIS’s portal for sending cases to a lab; practices that used Carestream’s CS Connect have a transition path. You create a DEXIS account, install the IS Connect Agent and invite the lab. The lab gets the invitation by email, creates its own account and accepts the connection.
Once connected, sending starts from the send tab in ScanFlow’s Export step, and you finish the case in IS Connect with the lab’s forms. DEXIS notes that IS Connect Cloud isn’t available in every region, and DEXIS IOS Cloud, its successor, currently lists the US, Canada and labs in Europe.
Smile Digital Lab receives cases as orders in our dentist portal, with the saved files attached. That route doesn’t depend on your region or on the lab having a DEXIS account.
Which scan errors send a DEXIS file back?
Weak stitching between surfaces, a hole in the mesh and a bite with too few captures are what send a DEXIS or Carestream file back. ScanFlow flags stitching and holes in color on screen, and the guide says what to do in each case.
| error | what happens | how to avoid it in ScanFlow |
|---|---|---|
| No opposing arch | contacts and occlusion designed blind | scan the full opposing arch; with both arches, the guide also recommends a buccal bite |
| A bite with too few captures | the restoration may come in high or out of contact | three buccal captures on a partial arch, four on a full arch, then check the fit |
| Weak stitching between surfaces | the mesh is assembled wrong, most often on anteriors | green arrows flag the weak link: keep scanning in their direction until they disappear |
| Gap or hole in the mesh | margin or contact with no surface | yellow marks a gap and, outside high-resolution mode, green marks a hole: rescan until the color clears |
| Several scan bodies misaligned | implant position shifts in the design | mark each scan body area before scanning; the scan body workflow cuts out the implant area and builds one model with the scan body and one without |
| DCM file sent to the lab | the lab can’t open it without Carestream’s viewer | export STL or PLY |
Scan technique for margins, scan bodies and the bite is covered in our intraoral scanning guide.
How do you attach a DEXIS file to a Smile portal order?
In the Smile portal, DEXIS and Carestream files are attached to the order from the target folder you chose in Export. Attach both arches and, with the bite registration output on, the STL for each bite. If you send a PLY with HD 3D, the texture image goes along, because that’s where the color is.
STL is accepted; PLY with texture only after you check with us before your first case. The patient’s name goes in the order field, and the CSZ, a copy of the raw data, stays at your practice. Shade and implant details follow our guide to sending a case; the portal screens are in Portuguese. If the bite was taken on one side only or the mesh has a hole at the margin, we contact you before design starts.
Related services
Open a portal accountFrequently asked questions
I have a Carestream CS 3600. Does this guide apply?
Yes. In 2022, Envista bought Carestream Dental's intraoral scanner business and rebranded it as DEXIS. The steps on this page come from the CS ScanFlow user guide (2021); in IS ScanFlow, DEXIS keeps the Export step and saving STL or PLY to a folder.
Can I send the lab a DCM file?
It's not the best route. The CS ScanFlow guide asks any lab receiving DCM to install CS Mesh Viewer to open it. For our portal, export STL; DCM is meant for Carestream's own programs.
Is IS Connect available outside the US?
DEXIS notes that IS Connect Cloud isn't available in every region, and the DEXIS IOS Cloud page, its successor, currently lists the US, Canada and labs in Europe. Check with your regional representative; saving to a folder works anywhere.
Sources
- Envista completes acquisition of Carestream Dental's intraoral scanner business · Envista (April 20, 2022)
- DEXIS launches new DEXIS IS intraoral scanning portfolio · DEXIS (October 20, 2022)
- DEXIS IS ScanFlow · DEXIS (DXIS00090 Rev08)
- DEXIS IS 3700 · DEXIS
- CS ScanFlow user guide (TA2883_sv, rev. 02, Swedish edition) · Carestream Dental (May 2021)
- DEXIS IS Connect, Dentist Workflow · DEXIS
- DEXIS IS Connect, Accepting a Connection from a Dentist · DEXIS
- CS Connect to DEXIS IS Connect Transition FAQ · DEXIS
- DEXIS IOS Cloud · DEXIS
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