An at-home impression kit lets you take your own dental impressions on your schedule, while a mobile 3D scan sends a trained technician to your location to digitally scan your teeth. In Newport Beach, MDI charges $150 per arch for mobile scanning. The better option depends on your budget, schedule and preference for DIY or technician-assisted records.

Once you've decided to explore clear aligners, there's another practical decision to make: how do you want the records of your teeth taken?

With Smileie, eligible Newport Beach customers may have two options. You can complete an at-home impression kit yourself or choose a mobile 3D scan through MDI, where a trained technician comes to your location.

Both options are designed to provide the dental records needed for your treatment planning, but the experience, convenience and cost are different.

Here's how to decide between an at-home aligner kit vs. mobile scan in Newport Beach.

Option 1: How Does the At-Home Impression Kit Work?

The at-home impression kit is the more independent option.

Smileie sends the kit to you so you can take physical impressions of your teeth at home. You'll receive the materials and instructions needed to complete your impressions and return them for the next stage of the process.

The biggest advantage is flexibility.

There's no technician appointment to schedule, and you can complete the impressions at a time that works for you. For someone specifically looking for a mail order clear aligner process, this keeps the records stage remote as well.

It also avoids MDI's separate mobile scan fee.

The trade-off is that you're responsible for taking the impressions yourself. You'll need to follow the supplied instructions carefully so that the impressions provide the records needed for treatment planning.

Option 2: How Does MDI's Mobile 3D Scan Work?

If you'd rather have a trained technician capture your dental records, the mobile 3D scan offers a different experience.

MDI is Smileie's mobile imaging partner based in Newport Beach. Instead of asking you to visit a scanning clinic, a technician travels to your location with digital scanning equipment.

During the mobile dental scan appointment, an intraoral scanner is used to digitally capture the shape and position of your teeth. There are no physical impression trays or putty involved in the digital scanning process.

For Newport Beach customers, MDI charges $150 per arch. If both your upper and lower arches require scanning, the imaging fee would be $300.

This is a separate imaging fee and should not be confused with the total cost of your Smileie clear aligner treatment.

For a complete explanation of the appointment and MDI's mobile service, read Mobile 3D Dental Scans in Newport Beach: How MDI Brings the Scan to You.

What's the Biggest Difference Between the Two?

The biggest difference is who captures your dental records and how they are captured.

With the impression kit, you take physical impressions yourself using the materials provided.

With the MDI option, a trained technician comes to your location and digitally scans your teeth.

The at-home kit gives you more independence and doesn't require coordinating a technician appointment. The mobile scan removes the DIY impression-taking step and allows your records to be captured digitally by a trained technician.

Both can be convenient clear aligner options. The better choice depends on what kind of experience you prefer.

Which Option Is More Affordable?

If your decision is primarily based on the upfront records cost, the at-home impression kit avoids MDI's $150-per-arch mobile imaging fee.

The mobile scan adds that separate charge in exchange for having a technician travel to your location and digitally capture your teeth.

Remember that the imaging fee is only one part of the overall cost. Your Smileie clear aligner treatment has its own pricing, separate from MDI's scan charge.

If budget is your main concern, read How Much Do Clear Aligners Cost in Newport Beach, CA? for the full cost breakdown before choosing your records option.

Which Is More Convenient?

That depends on what convenience means to you.

The at-home kit may be more convenient if you want complete control over when you take your impressions. You don't need to coordinate an appointment or have someone come to your home or office.

The mobile scan may be more convenient if you'd rather not take your own impressions. The technician brings the scanning equipment to your location, so you still avoid traveling to a traditional scanning clinic.

For a busy Newport Beach professional, either approach can reduce the need for an additional clinic trip. The difference is whether you'd rather complete the records yourself or schedule a technician to handle the digital scan.

At-Home Kit or Mobile Scan: Which Should You Choose?

The decision can be fairly straightforward.

Choose the at-home impression kit if you're comfortable following the instructions yourself, want to complete your impressions on your own schedule and prefer to avoid the separate MDI mobile scan fee.

Choose MDI's mobile 3D scan if you'd rather have a trained technician capture your teeth digitally and are comfortable paying the $150-per-arch imaging fee for that service.

Neither choice changes the overall purpose of this stage. The goal is to provide the dental records needed to move forward with your Smileie treatment planning process.

What Happens After Your Impressions or Scan?

Once Smileie has the necessary dental records, they can be used as part of the process of developing your custom treatment plan.

You'll have the opportunity to review your proposed plan before moving ahead with treatment. From there, your custom aligners can be produced and delivered according to the Smileie treatment process.

You can see the full journey from assessment through treatment on How Smileie Works.

If you haven't started yet, complete Smileie's Start Your Free Assessment first. Once you know whether you're eligible for treatment, you can decide whether the flexibility of an at-home impression kit or the technician-assisted convenience of MDI's mobile 3D scan makes more sense for you.