At Geelan Dental Care, we use x-rays of all kinds to help equip our patients with the information they need to make the best choices about their dental health. Radiographs such as these give us incredible amounts of detail about your bones, teeth, and supporting tissues of the mouth. Some kinds of x-rays, like the cone beam scan, can give you a more comprehensive diagnosis than others.
request an appointmentWHAT DIFFERENTIATES CONE BEAM X-RAYS FROM OTHER TYPES?
The x-rays you are probably most familiar with are those taken on each side of your mouth. Periapical x-rays target one or two teeth at a time, showing their entire length, from root to crown. Bite-wing x-rays have you affix your teeth on a wing-shaped device that enables the dentist to more easily see decay between back teeth. By contrast, cone beam scanning has you sit or stand while a machine revolves around your head. The cone-shaped beam gives us three-dimensional images that allow for more intricate results and treatment planning.
WHY WOULD WE RECOMMEND CONE BEAM SCANNING?
| • | To more accurately place dental implants for you. |
| • | To measure, detect, and treat jaw tumors. |
| • | To better enable reconstructive surgery. |
| • | To surgically plan for impacted teeth. |
PROS AND CONS OF THE CONE BEAM SCANNING PROCEDURE
When required, we recommend the cone beam scan because of the wealth of information it can give our dentists to work with. Cone beams permit us to inspect soft tissue and bone at the same time through a variety of angles and views that can give us the most complete evaluation. The scan is accurate, painless, and is easy to administer. It is worth noting, however, that the radiation used is more significant than that of a standard dental x-ray, and we do not recommend it for children. Nonetheless, the benefit of such an accurate diagnosis significantly outweighs any risk of a negative reaction to the radiation.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THE CONE BEAM SCAN?
While a cone beam scan is quite easy to do when compared to a more invasive procedure like the bite-wing x-ray, it still does require some preparation on your part. You may need to remove any dental work that can be taken from your mouth, and you should bring these to your appointment so we can see how they may affect the cone beam results. If you are pregnant, you should let us know so we can plan appropriately. Right before the scan takes place, we will ask you to remove jewelry, eyeglasses, or anything that may interfere with the scan. Beyond that, a cone beam scan is a simple process that will cause you no pain or discomfort.
At Geelan Dental Care, we find x-rays to be a valuable source of information when it comes to your dental health. Of the different kinds, cone beam scans provide our dentists with the greatest amount of detail and with the least fuss for you. If you are interested and believe that cone beam scanning could be the right choice for you, call us today at (503) 223-1322.