Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) is special X-ray equipment used when dental or normal face imaging does not meet the need. The doctor uses this device to create a three-dimensional image of the teeth, soft tissue, nerve pathway, and bones, all in the form of a scan.
This method does not require special preparation, but if there is a possibility of pregnancy, inform your doctor, wear comfortable clothes, and do not bring jewelry. We may ask you to wear a medical gown.
However, Cone Beam CT has less radiation advantage than conventional CT scan. Lymph nodes no longer provide the complete diagnostic information obtained with a normal CT scan.
What is Dental Cone Beam CT?
Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) is special X-ray equipment used when dental or normal face imaging does not meet the need. WE don’t usually use this device because its waves are higher than conventional oral imaging devices. This type of CT scan, using special technology in the form of a scan, produces three-dimensional images of the dental structure, soft tissues, nerve pathways, and bones of the skull and head. Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) images provide more accurate information for treatment.
Cone Beam CT is different from regular CT scans, but the images produced are similar to those produced by conventional CT scans.
A cone-shaped X-ray beam travels around the patient in a Cone Beam CT machine, producing many images called views. Both CT scanners and Dental Cone Beam CT scanners produce high-quality images.
Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) has been developed to produce similar images but with a much smaller and cheaper device, which can be installed in outpatient offices.
Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) provides detailed images of the bone. It is used to assess jaw disease, tooth condition, facial bone structure, nasal cavity, and sinuses, especially to evaluate soft tissues such as muscles and glands.
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Buccal mucosa, mandibular vestibule, gingiva, and lateral borders of the tongue are most commonly affected.
Other sites though rare include, the lip, the floor of the mouth, retromolar trigone, palate, mandibular and maxillary alveolar ridges.
What Are Some Common Reasons for Using This Method in Dental Cone Beam CT?
People commonly use CT Cone Beam CT scans to plan orthodontic treatment and dental implants. Advances in dentistry have created some of the most incredible imaging techniques available. A Dental Cone Beam CT scan is also useful for more complex cases, such as planning orthodontic treatment, as well as more complex matters, including:
- Implantation surgery planning
- Diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
- Accurate placement of dental implants
- Evaluation of the jaw, sinuses, nerve channels, and nasal cavity
- Diagnosis, measurement, and treatment of maxillary tumours
- Determining bone structure and tooth orientation
- Determining the location of pain or pathology
- Cephalometric analysis
- Reconstructive surgery
How to Prepare for This Scan?
Computed tomography (Dental Cone Beam CT) does not require special preparation.
We remove anything such as metal objects, jewelry, glasses, and hearing aids that could interfere with the scan before performing the scan. Although it may be necessary to separate detachable dental work, we recommend taking them with you for an examination as the oral surgeon or dentist may need to examine them.
Women should always inform their surgeon or dentist if they become pregnant.
What Does Dental Cone Beam CT Device Look Like?
Cone Beam CT scanners are square devices with a chair for sitting or a moving table so that the patient can lie down during the examination. The seats include a C-shaped swivel arm, an X-ray image enhancer containing an X-ray source and a detector, and models with a desk with a rotating structure.
How Does Dental Cone Beam CT Method Work?
During a Cone Beam CT scan, the C-shaped arm or structure rotates 360 degrees around the patient’s head. It captures many images from different angles to produce a three-dimensional image.
The X-ray source and the detector are mounted on opposite sides of the C-shaped arm or rotating structure in unison. The detector can capture 150 to 200 high-resolution images during one rotation, then combine these images to create a three-dimensional image that can provide valuable information about the health of your mouth, teeth, and skull to your surgeon or dentist.
How Is This Method Done?
Depending on the scanner used, we may ask you to sit on a chair or a moving table. The surgeon dentist has changed your position so that the imaging site is right in the middle of the device. You are asked not to move until the X-ray source and detector have rotated a full 360 degrees or less. This can take 20 to 40 seconds for a full volume, also called full oral imaging, of the entire mouth and dental structures and less than 10 seconds for a local scan of a specific upper or lower jaw area.
What Will We Experience after the Test?
You will not have any pain during the Cone Beam test, and you will be able to return to your normal activities after the test. All imaging systems at Midtown Dental are secure and approved by the American Dental Association (ADA).
What Are the Advantages of This Method Over the Risks?
Advantages
- Concentrated X-rays help reduce scattered radiation, resulting in better-quality images.
- A wide range of views and angles are generated from a scan that we can use to perform a complete evaluation.
- Cone Beam CT scans provide more information than regular oral imaging to help plan treatment more accurately.
- CT scan is painless, non-invasive, and accurate.
- A great advantage of CT scans is the simultaneous imaging of bone and soft tissue.
- After the CT scan, no radiation remains in the patient’s body.
- X-rays used in CT scans have no immediate side effects.
Risks
- Prolonged radiation exposure is always less likely to cause cancer. However, the advantage of accurate diagnosis is far more important than this risk.
- Because children are more sensitive to radiation, CT scans should only be performed if necessary, and repeated CT scans should not be performed unless necessary. CT scans in children should always be performed with a low dose method.
