IMETRIC ICam Full-Arch Workflow: What the System Measures
IMETRIC describes the system as a photogrammetry workflow that captures ICamBody positions. The output must then be combined with the tissue, opposing arch, bite, restorative design, and case documentation required by the chosen laboratory workflow.
Calibration is part of measurement
The current IMETRIC instructions call for calibration before measurement. That step belongs in the case protocol with a clear response when calibration does not complete or the device reports a problem.
Keep calibration equipment protected, track device and accessory condition, and train users to distinguish setup, calibration, capture, and export. Skipping a step because the schedule is busy defeats the purpose of a precision system.
ICamBodies are measurement components
Use the exact ICamBodies, screws, and handling protocol required for the system. Seating, cleanliness, damage, line of sight, and movement can affect the measurement workflow.
The team should inspect components before use, follow current reprocessing instructions, and record any seating uncertainty. A complete-looking capture cannot correct a component that was not fully seated.
Preserve positional data
IMETRIC's current instructions discuss positional export formats and warn that converting precise positional information into surface geometry can introduce degradation. The laboratory and design software should use the recommended data path for the configured workflow.
Before go-live, send a test case through capture, export, secure transfer, import, design, and verification. Confirm file naming and the identity of every dataset so records are never assigned to the wrong arch or patient.
Define the handoff
A complete handoff states which system created each record, the implant and component references, capture conditions, bite method, tissue scan, provisional information, photos, and any uncertainty observed chairside.
Dentcore can help configure ICam bundles and accessories. The clinician and laboratory should jointly approve the capture and acceptance protocol before using it for production.
Know what the ICam file represents
The ICam workflow measures the position and orientation of compatible ICamBodies in a software-defined coordinate system. It does not replace the tissue, provisional, opposing arch, bite, photographs, or prescription needed for restorative design. Those records must be captured separately and connected through an approved registration workflow.
IMETRIC's current instructions describe coordinate or transformation-matrix exports in supported text and XML-based formats, as well as a Change Geometry STL path. The instructions strongly favor the native positional data path for maximum system accuracy. The practice and laboratory should agree on the exact export before the first production case.
Component identity must survive the handoff
Each ICamBody must match the implant or multi-unit interface and be assigned correctly in software. The case record should preserve arch, site, connection, component identifier, screw or instrument requirements, and any companion ICamRef or surface-scan record. A clean capture attached to the wrong component identity is still an unusable dataset.
Use a pre-capture component check and a post-capture export check. The laboratory should confirm that the expected positions import, the component library is available, the companion scan registers, and the case name matches the prescription before design begins.
Define repeat criteria while the patient is present
The operator needs explicit stop rules for poor component seating, obscured targets, calibration problems, incomplete views, unexpected software status, or a mismatch between the physical arch and the assigned case. These should trigger correction and repeat capture before components are removed.
Review the first cases jointly with the restorative team and laboratory. Record capture repeats, import failures, registration questions, verification outcomes, passive-fit findings, adjustments, and remakes. The workflow is mature when problems are detected at capture or intake, not after fabrication.