Digital Scanner Comparison Calculator
Intraoral scanner cost and feature comparison.
About this calculator
Total Cost of Ownership adds Purchase Price, total subscription fees over the ownership period, and total disposable-tip cost -- three cost-side inputs only -- so none of the savings-side inputs (Analog Impression Cost, Analog and Digital Remake Rate, Time Saved per Scan, Chairtime Value, Crown Lab Fee) move it at all; those instead drive Total Savings, a completely separate calculation representing what switching to digital is expected to save, not what it costs. Purchase Price dominates Total Cost of Ownership because it is the single largest fixed component at typical scanner prices ($25,000-55,000), while Monthly Subscription and Impressions per Month (through disposable tip costs) each add smaller ongoing amounts that compound over the Ownership Period.
ROI (%) and Net Benefit are the figures that finally combine both sides of the ledger -- Total Savings minus Total Cost of Ownership -- so a scanner with a high purchase price can still show a strongly positive ROI if the savings-side inputs (especially remake-rate reduction and time saved per scan) are large enough relative to that upfront cost. Break-Even (months) reports 0 rather than a negative number when monthly savings never exceed monthly cost of ownership, meaning the scanner would never pay for itself under the entered assumptions.
Medical Disclaimer
This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of results from this tool.
Inputs
Results
Total cost of ownership ($)
$64,600.00
≈ 6 years of state college
Total savings ($)
$227,136.00
≈ 5 Teslas
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Scanner Purchase Price and Monthly Subscription fee.
- Set Ownership Period (years) and Impressions per Month to calculate cost per scan.
- Enter Analog Impression Cost and both Analog and Digital Remake Rates (%).
- Input Time Saved per Scan (min) and Chairtime Value ($/min) to quantify efficiency gains.
- Enter Crown Lab Fee to compare total case economics for digital vs. analog workflows.
- Review Total Cost of Ownership and Break-Even Impressions per Month.
How the result changes with Scanner purchase price ($)
| Scanner purchase price ($) | Total cost of ownership ($) | Total savings ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | $44,600.00 | $227,136.00 |
| 30,000 | $54,600.00 | $227,136.00 |
| 60,000 | $84,600.00 | $227,136.00 |
| 100,000 | $124,600.00 | $227,136.00 |
What each input means
- Scanner purchase price ($)
- One-time purchase price for the intraoral scanner system.
- Monthly subscription ($)
- Monthly software/cloud subscription fee (some scanners: $0, others: $200-500/mo).
- Ownership period (years)
- Expected useful life or analysis period.
- Impressions per month
- Number of impressions/scans taken monthly.
- Analog impression cost ($)
- Material cost per analog PVS/alginate impression (tray + material).
- Analog remake rate (%)
- Percentage of analog cases requiring remakes (industry avg 5-12%).
- Digital remake rate (%)
- Percentage of digital cases requiring remakes (typically 1-4%).
- Time saved per scan (min)
- Chair minutes saved vs analog impression (no mixing, no retakes, instant send).
- Chairtime value ($/min)
- Revenue value per minute of chairtime (practice-dependent).
- Crown lab fee ($)
- Average lab fee per crown/bridge unit (for remake cost calculation).
What each result means
- Total cost of ownership ($)
- Total cost over the ownership period (purchase + subscription + tips).
- Monthly cost ($)
- Average monthly cost of scanner ownership.
- Cost per scan ($)
- Effective cost per digital impression.
- Total savings ($)
- Combined savings from materials, remakes, and time over ownership period.
- Monthly savings ($)
- Average monthly savings.
- Material savings ($)
- Savings from eliminating PVS/alginate materials.
- Remake savings ($)
- Savings from reduced remake rates.
- Time value savings ($)
- Dollar value of chairtime freed up.
- Net benefit ($)
- Total savings minus total cost of ownership.
- ROI (%)
- Return on investment percentage.
- Break-even (months)
- Months until cumulative savings exceed purchase price (0 if never).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters10 parametersScanner purchase price ($) = 40000, Monthly subscription ($) = 250, Ownership period (years) = 5, Impressions per month = 80, Analog impression cost ($) = 18, Analog remake rate (%) = 8, Digital remake rate (%) = 2, Time saved per scan (min) = 5, Chairtime value ($/min) = 5, Crown lab fee ($) = 180 = 10 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total cost of ownershipTotal cost of ownership = purchasePrice + totalSubscription + totalTipCost64600 = $64,600
- Calculate Total savingsTotal savings = totalMaterialSavings + totalRemakeSavings + totalTimeSavings227136 = $227,136
- Calculate Monthly costMonthly cost = totalCostOfOwnership / totalMonths1077 = $1,077
- Calculate Cost per scan13.46 = $13.46
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Crown Lab Fee affect Total Cost of Ownership?
No -- Total Cost of Ownership is calculated only from Purchase Price, total subscription fees, and disposable tip costs; Crown Lab Fee is used exclusively in the Remake Savings calculation, which estimates the dollar value of avoiding lab remake fees by switching from a higher analog remake rate to a lower digital remake rate. It plays no role in the cost side of the comparison.
What is the biggest driver of Total Cost of Ownership?
Purchase Price is typically the largest single component of Total Cost of Ownership at this calculator's default scanner price range ($25,000-55,000), outweighing the accumulated Monthly Subscription fees and disposable tip costs over a typical 5-year ownership period, though a scanner with a high monthly subscription over a long ownership window can narrow that gap considerably.
Why can a scanner with a high Purchase Price still show a positive ROI?
ROI (%) compares Total Savings against Total Cost of Ownership, and Total Savings is calculated entirely independently from Purchase Price -- it depends on Analog Impression Cost, the gap between Analog and Digital Remake Rate, and Time Saved per Scan multiplied by Chairtime Value. A high-volume practice with a large remake-rate improvement and significant chairtime savings can generate enough Total Savings to produce a strongly positive ROI even against a high-priced scanner.
What does a Break-Even (months) value of 0 mean?
A Break-Even value of 0 means monthly savings never exceed the monthly cost of ownership under the entered assumptions, so cumulative savings never catch up to the Purchase Price -- it is not a literal 'pays for itself immediately' result. Revisiting Impressions per Month, Analog Remake Rate, or Time Saved per Scan (the inputs most likely to be understated) is usually the right next step if this figure appears unexpectedly.
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