CBCT: Three-dimensional Imaging and Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Dental radiology has come a long way in the past few years, and CBCT is a good example of how radiology imaging has advanced to meet the needs of the dental patient.
At Advanced Family Dentistry, we have invested in CBCT in order to help our patients get more efficient and more effective treatment.
What is CBCT?
Cone beam computed tomography is a type of computed tomography that uses a particular model to achieve specific results for dental practices.
Computed tomography or CT is the use of many x-ray images from different angles to come up with a composite image that helps medical professionals evaluate a patient. In dental practices, the CT focuses on the mouth and sinus area and other nearby areas of the body.
The difference with CBCT is that instead of using a traditional fan shape, CBCT uses a cone beam shape that provides for different uses.
Benefits of CBCT
One of the benefits of CBCT is that these machines are more affordable for dental practices, and that means that patients and doctors can utilize them in a greater number of dental offices.
CBCT also does not require patient movement, which is another big benefit. There’s also a lower dose of radiation, and the machine is smaller and fits better into small office and exam room spaces.
What is CBCT Used For?
CBCT is used for many different kinds of issues in dental practices. It’s often used to look at tooth impaction – for example, where the proliferation of wisdom teeth has changed how teeth are positioned in the mouth, or how an injury may have changed tooth position.
CBCT can also be used to study conditions like TMJ or in evaluating airways, or to plan for orthodontics.
Another big use of CBCT is in the growing number of procedures that involve dental implants. Dental implants help create permanent replacements for a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. In order to install dental implants the right way, doctors use CBCT or traditional CT to do a thorough evaluation of the patient’s mouth and sinus areas. Here, CBCT can again help this be done more quickly and effectively
Dr. Sonny Kim is by far the best dentist I’ve ever had.
Dr. Sonny Kim is by far the best dentist I’ve ever had. I’ve had braces 3 times to close a gap between my front teeth but due to grinding, I broke my permanent retainer and the gap came back in another spot that was quite noticeable. I asked Dr.Kim what we could do to fix it without having veneers put on my front. 6 teeth. He made by HAND a mold to show me what it would look like if he just made each tooth a little bigger. I loved it immediately and booked an appointment to have it done permanently. My smile has changed for the better and I am absolutely in love with his work. No more getting my tongue caught in the gap or showing when I smile. The fact that he did this all by hand instead of sending it out shows how much he cares and how much he values his work. No other dentist could do what he did without it looking funny. I am super happy with the results and find myself smiling more than I use to. Oh, and did I mention that he got the colour perfect so you can’t see where the bonding starts and ends on my teeth. Kudos to Dr. Kim for making my vision a reality.
Once again Dr.Kim, I can’t thank you enough.
