What is a Cone Beam?
First of all, the correct term is CBCT(Cone Beam Computerized Tomography).
It is in fact a kind of scanner, much less radiating thanks to the conical beam, and with a reduced field of view (8 cm x 8 cm in our practice). It is therefore specially dedicated to dental examinations.
What is a Cone Beam used for?
The Cone Beam is a fabulous diagnostic tool.
In a single image it is possible to radiograph the whole mouth, to reconstruct it virtually in 3 dimensions (3D) and to navigate in this space; millimetre by millimetre, cut by cut, visualising the teeth, the bone tissue, the main nerves, etc... and all this without deformation, without crushing the planes (unlike a panoramic) and with a formidable precision.
This tool therefore makes it possible to carry out screening (it is almost impossible to "miss" an infection with this type of examination), to refine a diagnosis, to explain a pathology, and thus to make therapeutic choices based on reality!
It is the examination of choice in implantology, as it allows us to visualise the available bone volumes and to protect noble structures such as nerves. We can now even merge the files from our optical camera with the images from the Cone Beam, for an even more accurate diagnosis. We can also export all these data to create a surgical guide on our machine! See a complete case here.
These 3D images can be studied in a software dedicated to implantology which allows to choose the size and the shape of the implants and to simulate their positions... virtually!
So you can see and understand your treatment!
Having such a tool in our dental practice has many advantages:
- All the steps are done in one place, so you don't have to go to a radiologist for this type of examination. This saves time for everyone.
- The result is instantaneous and allows the treatment plan to be validated immediately.
- When we perform complex procedures(Sinus Lift, Bone grafts, etc...) we can check the result immediately.
In a few months this tool has become indispensable to us.
Our profession as Dentists is constantly (r)evolving and the Cone Beam is a major advance.