Dental Cone Beam CT

Tempe Dental Care now offers dental cone beam CT, also known as CBCT. Dental cone beam CT is a special type of dental imaging we use when regular dental x-rays are not sufficient for planning your treatment. CBCT has become more important in diagnosis and treatment planning for implant dentistry, oral surgery, endodontics, and orthodontics. This dental imaging provides us with a better 3-D image of your teeth, bone, soft tissues, and nerve pathways in just one scan.

How does Dental Cone Beam CT work?

If your Tempe dentist decides CBCT is right for you, the CBCT scanner will rotate around your head, taking up to 600 distinct images. For a regional scan, it may take less than 10 seconds, while a full mouth scan may take up to 40 seconds. Once the scan is complete, the software will reconstruct the data producing a 3-D image that can be manipulated to see the necessary structures.

For example, imagine that you want to see inside a cake. To do this you can cut layers, small slices, or even large slices to see every part of the inside of the cake. The dental CT does exactly this. It takes x-rays in small slices so your dentist can see every part of your teeth, bone, soft tissues, and nerve pathways to provide the right treatment plan.

When can a Dental CBCT be helpful?

A dental CBCT is not always necessary, we reserve it for cases where more information will provide us with a better treatment plan. Dental Cone Beam CTs are helpful in:

• Oral surgery, such as surgical planning for impacted teeth
• Evaluation of the jaw, nerve canals, sinuses, and nasal cavity
• Implant planning for accurate placement of dental implants
• Orthodontic planning & implant anchorage
• Airway study (sleep apnea)
• Detecting and measuring jaw tumors
• Determining bone structure and tooth orientation
• Evaluation of periodontal diseases
• TMJ diagnosis and analysis
• Detecting endodontic anomalies
• Locating the origin of pain or pathology
• Evaluating and determining reconstructive surgery needs

If you are interested in learning more about dental cone beam CT technology and how it can help your dental treatment plan, give the gentle dentists at Tempe Dental Care a call at (480) 730-5000. We can help you determine if dental CBCT is right for you and set you up with an appointment today.