What is the procedure for a dental CBCT Scan?

A cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a machine that creates 3D images of your entire mouth in one scan, including even the most delicate anatomical structures like nerve pathways and soft tissues. It’s an improved CT scanner that scans patients much more quickly and with less risk of injury. 

A cone-shaped X-ray beam significantly reduces the scanner’s presence, the patient’s exposure to radiation, and the time required to complete a scan. You may have already encountered a machine at a dentist’s office or hospital; it moves in a circling motion to take a panoramic image of your head for diagnostic purposes. 

Cone beam computed tomography assesses epidemics of the jaw, dentition, bony structures of the face, nasal cavity, and sinuses because of the high-quality images it produces. Particularly in evaluating soft tissue structures like muscles, lymph nodes, glands, and nerves, it falls short of the diagnostic information provided by conventional CT. On the other hand, Cone beam CT has the benefit of requiring less radiation exposure than traditional CT. 

Why do I need a CBCT scan?

Now that you know what a CBCT scan is and how it operates, we can discuss when it might be necessary for you to get one. Scanning the area will provide dentists with information not available with traditional X-ray technology. Dental scans of patients eligible for dental implants or other specialized procedures give dentists a clearer picture of the bone’s precise structure. 

CBCT scans play an integral role in the treatment planning process and are utilized not just to identify whether or not a patient is a candidate for dental implant placement. CBCT scans enable your implant dentist to design the process in great detail, which is crucial to a positive outcome as it bodes well for the success of your implant operation. 

How to prepare for it?

Arriving at the dentist’s office at your scheduled appointment time is the first step in getting ready for a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) X-ray. There is nothing out of the ordinary or distinctive that you should do in advance. To get a clear CBCT scan, you’ll need to remove any metal objects from your body, including eyewear, dentures, hearing aids, earrings, tongue studs, necklaces, and hair clips. Do inform the dentist if you think you could be pregnant. 

Procedure for CBCT Scan

The procedure for a CBCT scan is straightforward.

• The CBCT equipment will require you to sit on an examination table or chair. During the scan, the attendant will appropriately position your head in a specific posture and be requested to remain completely motionless.  
• Depending on your diagnostic criteria, you may require many scans. Although positioning can take a while, each scan only takes a minute. After that, you’ll have to stay stationary as the machine spins around you for an entire circle (or close to it). The whole process shouldn’t take more than half an hour at most. 
• The tx-ray generator and detector move in tandem as the structure spins. As the sensor rotates, it takes anywhere from 150 to 200 high-resolution 2-D images, which are then digitally merged to make a 3-D image that can provide helpful information to your dentist or oral surgeon about your oral and craniofacial health.
• The technician will examine the images in the dental lab after the cone-beam CT scan is complete. After that, you’ll have to return for a follow-up appointment to discuss the findings and decide if implant surgery is a good option. 

What should one expect next?

The consultants will report the CBCT examination results to the dentist who referred you for the scan. In the next step, your dentist will examine the data. Then, you’ll learn which course of action is ideal for your situation. 

You’ll be free to leave immediately following the exam and return home. What should I do when I get back to my house? You can resume normal eating, drinking, and other activities immediately after treatment without any adverse effects.

Contact your dentist in Fairfield, Dr. Zhu, at Freedom Dental to learn more about the procedure for a dental CBCT Scan.

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