3D Dental CT Scan or CBCT

[@AG-ri8lg]

Which scanner is best? So machines images aren’t clear or holistic Dentists don’t know how review them.

[@mwj5368]

My imaging clinic's website had zero info about their machine. I wondered why and I suppose they don't want to get in machine generation competition with other clinics as they are very expnsive machines. So I looked when I was there and also noticed it looked "modern" and "new". I quietly wrote it down and on 3-20-24 appointment they had a Sirona Orthopos xg 3D which is on page 18 of the following: assets.dentsplysirona.com/marketing-hub/marketing-hub/sbu/imaging/upload/A91100-M47-C028-01-7600.pdf If I were you, I found out too late looking the machine up after the fact... They never, like in the demo videos, had me put on a let garment to protect my other areas. I thought more about it later and thought at the time too that it is a horizontal beam of my teeth and they didn't have me remove my eye glasses that are metal because I suppose they are above the area scanned. See my comments to another person in the replies under my name above. I hope I helped some even though it's 8 months later, today 3-20-24.

[@mwj5368]

It's the weekend and I go by medical shuttle to the clinic at 12:25PM for my 1:30PM scan monday 3-18-24. I thought it was going to be of one tooth and this weekend watching videos it's my whole head! I had a throat CT scan 2yrs ago, chest CT 5 yrs ago, and thoracic spine CT 2 weeks ago and now my whole head! I think too of the constant red blood cells going through my vessels that get hit so many times by radiation. I pay $370 of money I barely have for this. Does anyone know? Also why don't they say what their machine model and age is at their website? (I'm 70 yrs old)

[@SeaUsername]

oh my god, you are 70 and worrying about a CT scan, at that age it wont matter at all. Its young people that have to worry, with decades of time for cancer to develop.

[@mwj5368]

@@SeaUsernameI don't mean to sound unreasonable but was thinking anyone can get cancer quickly, like my brother at 79 when he found out about a recent pain and they gave him 5 months to live and they were correct within 3 days. Thanks though for the information and for taking the time to respond!

[@SeaUsername]

@@mwj5368I dont know what you mean "can get cancer quickly", certainly once you have cancer it can kill you quickly. Anyway, I'm 45, I've had several chest CT scans in recent years, and this is one reason I'm reluctant to ever have anymore if i can avoid it. I have a private dental appointment this thursday, and I'm probably gonna have to have a Cone Beam CT scan to diagnose a problem tooth. You have to weight up the pros and cons of a (CB)CT.

[@SeaUsername]

@@mwj5368Hi, did you get the scan or cancel? I have the same dilema now. Have the tooth extracted or get the scan.

[@mwj5368]

@@SeaUsernameHi! I hope you get this in time to help with your decision. The clinic that does the imaging they of course say it's like 5 days in the sun but they never say it's the cumulative exposure too, how many x-rays you've had in your life. I'm 70 and have had many. I thought about what my hometown dentist said after I had a pan-x-ray that is different than the CBCT and he said one of my root canals was leaking into the bone and he was going to watch it, but then I moved away and never did anything about it. Clinics supposedly, ones for CBCT say they have an "as little as possible" motto that is worded something like that in regard to radiation exposure. They weren't going to do the full scan that shows even your jaw joints they were just going to do my upper and lower teeth. I read they can narrow it down to just one tooth as that was my case just one molar but I didn't discover that until I was home. Also I recall the tech saying my doctor wanted a full view of all of my teeth so he could analyze all of them. I looked at the name of their device so I could look it up and see what generation etc the model was as hopefully newer designs involved less radiation, and I found they do. Find out what model your clinic has. The machine they had was the high quality newest Sirona Orthopos xg 3D which is on page 18 of the following: assets.dentsplysirona.com/marketing-hub/marketing-hub/sbu/imaging/upload/A91100-M47-C028-01-7600.pdf For some reason the imaging clinic did not note what model of machine they have. So I looked it up once I was home. I noticed in the videos and keyword searching that patients wore a lead garment to protect other areas not in the scan. I was foolish and should have called the clinic to ask what model of machine they have. They never had me put on a lead garment! I was after the fact upset some but also thought my scan, they told me, was just of my upper and lower teeth. Sorry this is long... Bottom line is "what is my advice"? Ask for the lead garment if they don't have you put on a lead garment. The machine I think scans horizontally. The device rotates around your head and takes around 2 minutes and cost me $370, and they want the money right then and there before you get the scan. It's an expensive machine as I saw used ones at $13K on eBay but saw I think a new one at 27K. They also said across the board no patient's insurance has ever covered a CBCT scan. It's the only way my Endodontist can see my tooth if it's cracked under the crown. Weigh how important it is. They say the newer design involves less radiation and at the clinic they said it's not at the level of radiation for like a chest CT scan. When I think of it our bones and teeth are close to the surface as compared to one's spine or chest or hips etc. I decided after talking to the nurse at my Endodontist's clinic to do it. I had a dentist who did a bad job saying she was cleared as an endodontist and I think she had no practical hands=-on experience and was trying to make money. I was 4 1/2 hrs in her dentist chair and over and over she kept trying to get a mold of my teeth. She also made a big gash inside my mouth I didn't feel because I had Novocaine but really did once I was home. My own dentist looked and said don't ever go back to her and called the "gash" I had a "wound". I was very nice and told that dentist I was very dissatisfied and I could tell she knew she did a botched job and said she wasn't going to charge me. So now about 9 months later I'm paying for this expensive scan and because she drilled away at a very nice tooth where all I needed was a replacement filling and maybe a root canal, and now I will most likely need a root canal or maybe my tooth is cracked and all because of that bogus dentist who schemed to drill away far more of my tooth just so she could make more money. That same phenomenon happened to me years before in my hometown when only a very narrow sliver type filling fell out of my front tooth. I wondered then too why my dentist was driling so much. Once he went away from the chair I felt with my tongue and he drilled my whole tooth down to a peg!!! Now 20 years later the Endodontist said he also used the wrong material to fill my root and it deteriorated and had to all drilled out and had to do the root canal the right way all over again. You have to be your own best advocate in the health industry. What is my answer? Sorry this is so long! I would say if it's serious have the scan done as you only have one set of teeth and I'd hate to have a "bridge" or false teeth. I am very grateful I still have all of my teeth at 70 and see a lot of people with "partials" or false teeth. I hope I helped some. I will pray for you. SAVE YOUR TEETH ALL YOU CAN!

[@butterfly72255]

The music in the background is distracting and makes it difficult to focus on the content.

[@SeaUsername]

agreed, its irritating and unnecessary. These days for some reason every video has to have background music.

[@Rosimarcortes]

Much radiation or not?

[@SeaUsername]

thats what i want to know

[@mwj5368]

@@SeaUsernameMe too! It's the weekend medical shuttle leaves at 12:25PM for my 1:30PM scan monday 3-18-24. I thought it was going to be of one tooth and this weekend watching videos it's my whole head! I talked to the clinic last week and they never said a word about it being my whole head and I'd even told them it's for one tooth, my number 18 lower left molar tooth... Why don't clinics say what model and age is of their CT machine?

[@mwj5368]

They told me it's like 5 days in the sun but see my comment just below yours. Did you find anything out?

[@mwj5368]

@@SeaUsernameHi! Did you find anything out? I was never told it's of my whole head and talked to them last week that it is for one tooth, my lower left molar, but now looking here it's the whole head! See my comment above this and at the main list of comments if you have time. Now I don't know if they will charge me a fee for canceling less than 24 hrs from scan time, but it's not my fault. (it's a $370 scan for me!) How much is the price for you? Thanks!

[@SeaUsername]

@@mwj5368it wont be your whole head, the cone beam CT will be focused to your jaw. It seems the exposure is low, roughly eqivalent to 60 days natural exposure, but dont take my word for it, do your research on the internet, and ask the consultant.