Dental CBCT Scan – Shelby Township

 What is CBCT Cone Beam Computerized Tomography?

CBCT is a very low dose technique used by a health care professional to examine the jaw and structures of the skull. The traditional or digital X-ray shows a flat picture of the jaw whereas the CT scan gives the clinician a complete picture of the jaw. (See picture below).

What is it used for?

• Dental Implant planning requires the viewing of vital structures such as the position of the bone, nerves, sinus and adjacent teeth. With the valuable cross section, we can assess the thickness and quality of bone so that prototype implants can be placed on the computer predetermining the diameter, length and position of the implant before surgery. It is necessary at times to graft bone so that there will be enough bone width before implants can be placed.
• Extractions: The location of the nerves such as the mandibular nerve and sinus location are critical when extracting impacted wisdom teeth. Upper molar teeth are close to the sinus so the use of the CBCT to pre-plan will allow for a much more successful surgery.
• Pathology of the jaw: Location and size of abnormal formation in the jaw is critical for an accurate diagnosis and treatment options.
• Location and position of impacted teeth is important for orthodontic planning.
• Root canal diagnosis: the ability to look at a tooth in a cross section with very high resolution provides an accurate assessment if a tooth requires extraction or re-treatment
• TMJ (Jaw) disorders can be more detailed in the diagnosis because it is possible to see the space between the upper and lower jaw. By looking at the three dimensions it is possible to determine where the source of pain is coming from and possible treatment options for the jaw joint.
• Air way assessment: Sleep medicine is an area of medicine that can require an assessment of the potential volume of airway space behind the tongue. This can only be assessed by a cross section of the airway space.
• Openings in the nose which can be used by an ENT to determine if there is blockage or deviation in the nasal septum.
• Sinus health: It is possible to determine a thickening in the sinus membrane.

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How is this different from a medical CT scan?

The CBCT provides very high resolution but at a significantly lower radiation dosage. In fact, it uses only 5-10% of the radiation of a medical CT scan and is only

What is the cost and does my insurance cover it?

The cost can vary from $160-$300 depending on the information needed. The higher fees include the use of a dental radiologist to read the scan to determine if any pathology is viewed on the scan. Dental insurance does not cover the cost of the scan. If there is a medical need then some medical insurances may cover the cost minus your deductible.

CBCT Scanning Service Available in Shelby Township, Michigan

If you need a CBCT scan done to take back to your dentist we can provide this for you. We will send the scan either on a computer CD or email them the files necessary.

CBCT Scan Referral Form

Please give our dental office in Shelby Township a call at (586) 247-3500 if you need CBCT scanning services.