Cone Beam-What? Translation: Better Dental Experiences

Natural Smiles Dentistry explain some of the technology they use in their Salt Lake City practiceDr. Brickey and Dr. Provine, your trusted Salt Lake City dentists, is passionate about finding ways to improve the patient experience and achieve lasting results when it comes to the health and appearance of your smile. This requires continuous learning and investing in the types of advanced technologies that will stand the test of time—because keeping up with trends can be exciting, but optimal oral wellness and the overall health it contributes to will always be in style. 

So, without further ado, we’d love to introduce you to one of Natural Smiles Dentistry’s favorites—the Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scan, Cone Beam CT for short (and CBCT for shortest). What the heck is the CBCT? Oh, just a piece of equipment that has revolutionized dental treatment!

Does this Machine Possess Magical Powers?

While CBCT scans do provide superb detail to a point that could make it seem we have the gift of prescience, a great deal of thanks is owed to scientific progress. We think our patients will appreciate the many benefits of CBCT scans. Wondering what those benefits are? Natural Smiles Dentistry are glad you asked!

  • Cone beam CT scans are non-invasive, painless, and eliminate the need for messy impressions
  • In about 15 seconds, Natural Smiles Dentistry will obtain a panoramic view of your head, neck, and jaw
  • Reduced radiation exposure compared to traditional x-rays
  • Higher resolution 3D images allow for precise treatment planning

The speed and ease with which scanned images are obtained might lead you to believe we’re not getting a full picture, but Natural Smiles Dentistry will be able to show you everything they see with great clarity.

Do I Need a Cone Beam Scan?

If Natural Smiles Dentistry were only interested in what we could see with traditional x-rays and our own eyesight, the answer would be no. However, when we can’t see what Cone Beam CT scans can, diagnostics may be delayed. In some cases, this means not catching something until it’s visible to the naked eye, which may also mean you’re experiencing symptoms that worry you. Even traditional x-rays might not show us tumors in the bone that can be seen on cone-beam CT scans. 

What else do CBCT scans help with?

  • Treatment planning – dental implant placement, tooth extractions, reconstructive and even cosmetic procedures can be precisely planned with the 3D, panoramic images CBCT scans provide
  • Differentiation between types of tissue – bone, nerves, soft tissue, and teeth are seen more clearly in CBCT scans
  • TMJ diagnosis – we can more accurately determine the severity of temporomandibular joint disorders
  • Jaw, sinus, nerve canal, and nasal cavity evaluation – these evaluations can help us diagnose obstructive sleep apnea and customize an oral appliance that gets you back to sleeping restfully
  • Locating pain at its source – we can eliminate the guesswork of what’s causing tooth, mouth, and/or jaw pain, then get to work solving the problem

Elevating Standards & Improving Experiences

When we discuss the advantages of CBCT scanning, the fact that oral health extends beyond the mouth is much easier to see instead of remaining an abstract concept—and the visual proof helps drive this point home, too! 

At Natural Smiles Dentistry, we believe in treating people, not just their teeth. We take great pride in making the dentist’s office a warm, comfortable place to be, and find fulfillment in increasing your oral wellness and smile confidence. 

The implementation of CBCT scans help us accomplish these goals, and we’d love to help you accomplish yours—contact us today to schedule an appointment!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

The post Cone Beam-What? Translation: Better Dental Experiences appeared first on Natural Smiles Dentistry.



from Natural Smiles Dentistry https://www.naturalsmilesdentistry.com/learning-center/cone-beam-what-translation-better-dental-experiences/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of
Read more

Tongue Ties: What Parents Need to Know

Image
For a long time, people just didn’t seem to know much about tongue ties. In the early years of my practice, few of my patients had ever heard of a tongue tie. When I pointed out that they or their children might be tongue tied, I was often the very first practitioner who’d mentioned it to them. When I told them that a tongue tie might actually be the root cause of their oral myofunctional issues, or even their sleep apnea , I’m sure that some of them thought I was crazy. But in the last few years, things have changed so much! Initially, there was a small increase in the number of patients who were contacting me specifically about tongue ties. Dentists and orthodontists also began reaching out more frequently to discuss the application of myofunctional therapy exercises to tongue tie treatment. But in the last year or so, that little bit of interest has become a surge of awareness. Tongue ties and their effects on health and craniofacial development are finally becoming mainstream.
Read more