3D Dental Imaging
Advanced technology for quality care
How it Works
We’re big believers in investing in technology that will ensure you have comfortable visit while reaching your oral health goals. That’s why we offer panoramic x-rays and 3D dental imaging at our office. 3D imaging is a relatively new development that allows dentists to see clear, detailed, three dimensional images of your teeth, as well as the bones and soft tissues that surround them. It’s called a cone-beam because the x-ray beam is literally in the shape of a cone, where traditional CT scans use fan shaped x-ray beams. This cone-shaped beam takes nearly 600 “slices” of information about your mouth, and then special software assembles all of this into three-dimensional views.
When it's Used
3D Dental Imaging can be a lot more helpful than traditional two-dimensional x-rays, since they can be moved around to see your tooth and bone structures from every angle. This technology is particularly helpful for things like seeing exactly how close a wisdom tooth is to the nerves and arteries in your jaw, or precisely how much bone is present to support an implant. We might want to take a 3D image for some of the following reasons:
- Accurate placement of implants
- Determining if a root canal is your best treatment option
- Planning for extractions, especially of impacted teeth
- Evaluation of your sinuses
- Sleep apnea
- Fractures
- Diagnosing TMJ issues
- Getting to the bottom of undiagnosed pain
What to expect
Getting your 3D image taken is easy and takes less than a minute – total! There’s no discomfort or special preparation, we’ll just ask that you take off any metal jewelry like earrings to make sure we get the best image possible. The machine does all the work for you, rotating around 360 degrees to capture all the angles.