I have just spent a day studying how to use and apply the new 3D X-ray dental scan technology. The technique has been available for years, but at such expense that only large hospital facilities of commercial X-Ray centers could afford the installation and maintenance.
Hands on Training with Dr. Carmel Pradel, DMD Harvard trained Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Progressively we have watched to pricing and the sophistication of the systems improve to the point where the scans are extremely diagnostically reliable easy to read and the equipment simple to use and with in the price range where a general practitioner can afford it.
I even anticipate a time in the near future when the commercial x-ray laboratories may not be able to compete with the doctors’ offices any longer.
3D images allow us to examine sections of the jaws and be able to visualize everything around a tooth or implant. We can see where infection is causing bone in areas previously not detectable.It is possible to read where bone is lost around an implant, and whether the jaw is wide enough to hold and support an implant. In short we have jumped to a whole new level of clinical accuracy.
My colleague Doctor Fugier, DDS, another USC trained dentist who practices in the same building as I, has just put the new Clearstream (Kodak) 3D Scanner into his office an we can seamlessly integrate its use into our practice. Thank you Eric.
