Across the country, more and more dentists are embracing dental cone beam (CBCT) technology in their practices, oftentimes upgrading a panoramic X-ray machine to CBCT. The 3D imaging capability of a CBCT machine allows for greater in-office clinical capabilities as well as more rapid treatment planning and case acceptance. If your practice is looking to attract new patients and retain your current patients, an investment in advanced imaging technology can help you accomplish your growth goals.
With greater demand, many leading dental imaging manufacturers have designed state-of-the-art CBCT imaging systems. With so many high-quality, reputable CBCT options available in the market, how do dental professionals find the best CBCT for their practice?
Seek referrals, read reviews, evaluate both manufacturers and dealers. Your investment in CBCT is significant to your practice, you want to be confident you’ve made the best choice.
At Renew Digital, we’ve spent the past decade working directly with dental professionals to help find them the best imaging equipment through our wide inventory of CBCT machines. Because we are brand-neutral, we are uniquely positioned to help dentists find the very best. Today, we’re sharing the steps we’d walk you through to finding the right CBCT system for your practice.
Step 1: Select Your Field of View (FOV)
When you call a sales rep at Renew Digital, one of the first questions we’ll ask you is “How will you use your machine?” The answer to this question will immediately filter your options, based on the clinical applications each field of view offers.
Regardless of manufacturer, dental cone beam systems are typically categorized by three FOV groups: small, medium, and large. Most medium and large FOV cone beam dental systems can often collimate down to achieve smaller FOV sizes, if needed. Each manufacturer sets their own field of view sizes, so they can differ greatly by model.
- Small FOV dental cone beam systems typically capture a 5 x 5 cm field of view or similar. A small FOV CBCT is the right choice for you if you only need to view one or two teeth at a time and is best suited for endodontics and single implant treatments.
- A medium FOV CBCT, often the best choice for many general dentists and specialists due to its versatility, is typically used to capture any area from 5x5cm up to both arches, which usually ranges from 6-11 cm in height and up to 14 cm in width.
- The largest FOVs start around 13-15 cm and can go as large as 17-23 cm. A large FOV CBCT is perfect for multi-specialty practices that offer a wide range of treatment options, from endodontics to orthognathic surgery, due to the system’s ability to collimate down to more localized anatomy.
- For more information on selecting FOV for CBCT, visit our blog.
For our expert recommendations on the best available CBCT machines at each FOV size, click the links below:
Step 2: Determine Configuration, System & Feature Requirements
Next, your sales rep will request more information on your practice configuration. This will similarly help them filter your best options, tailored to your current space available, network and software requirements and local regulations.
For example, if you’re replacing a current Sirona panoramic for CBCT, it may make sense to stay with the same manufacturer for consistency among your software or network. Plus, if you are replacing an existing X-ray machine, typically a cone beam unit will fit into the same available space. Our project coordinators specialize in state regulatory requirements to ensure you’re selecting the best fitting machine for your practice configuration.
For 3D volumes, the cone beam system typically includes its own software that allows for a scan to be shared throughout the office, but the images are too large to be saved and shared within traditional 2D imaging or practice management software. So, you often also have the ability to choose a CBCT from another manufacturer than your existing equipment if best for your practice.
Finally, list out the features that are most critical to your practice. Often, the features are what distinguish one manufacturer and product from another. In general, CBCT imaging technology are all incredibly closely matched in imaging quality, so the desirable features such as patient motion limitation, extraoral bitewings and more are what dental professionals use to evaluate manufacturers.
Step 3: Evaluate Manufacturers
In our 10+ years of experience, we have become very selective with the brands and models we offer, making sure everything we sell meets our obsessive quality standards. We review our customer feedback to ensure they’re happy with their CBCT machines years later. This feedback helps us provide new customers with the best options available in the marketplace.
We carry a wide inventory of CBCT machines, from the leading manufacturers including: Sirona, Planmeca, Carestream, i-CAT/KaVo, Vatech and more. We believe this list to be the very best in quality and customer support available to dental professionals.
View our current CBCT inventory here.
Step 4: Find Your Best Unit
Within each of these leading brands, there are also several options to choose from. We’ve done extensive research and considered customer feedback to compile a “best of” offering within each brand. Explore the articles below which compare the top CBCT products available from the manufacturers listed:
Step 5: Find the Right Dealer
Now you’re one step closer to offering in-house CBCT imaging. One final consideration is where you will purchase your machine, and what price you can get it for. Choosing the right dealer will impact the price, quality, warranty and service of your machine.
Renew Digital leads the market in certified pre-owned dental imaging equipment. We’re able to help you save our customers up to 50% off new list prices as well as match you with the features that will drive the best value from your investment, so you can start seeing returns as quickly as possible.
Plus, every CBCT purchase comes with our comprehensive warranty and five-star customer service and help desk. And, if you’re upgrading your current equipment, we can also speak to you about trading in your current digital imaging equipment towards your purchase. Give us a call today at (888) 246-5611 or fill out an online form to connect with a sales rep.
