Dental cone beam has greatly enhanced the practice of orthodontics, from improved practice workflow to better patient care. With dental cone beam, orthodontists have the ability to see more anatomical information with greater accuracy allowing them to treat each patient individually, resulting in better, and sometimes faster, treatment outcomes. One of the main benefits of i-CAT dental cone beam systems for orthodontists is that orthodontic practices can capture all of their patient records at one time.
Standard CBCT Imaging Protocols for Orthodontics
When orthodontists add cone beam to their practices, most practitioners capture three different types of images for every new patient:
- Panoramic X-ray
- Cephalometric X-ray
- Large field of view cone beam
Before selecting a cone beam model for their practice, orthodontists must first determine which method they wish to capture these three different types of patient records.
Option 1: Standard 2D Panoramic + Cephalometric with Separate CBCT Function
If your practice prefers a workflow using traditional 2D imaging, you may want to consider a 2D panoramic + cephalometric system with added, separate large field of view dental cone beam functionality. This type of system will allow you to capture 2D panoramic and cephalometric X-rays and a 3D cone beam separately. The benefit of this option is that the imaging workflow remains about the same as capturing 2D X-rays with the addition of the 3D scan. The patient, however, must be scanned 3 separate times, once for the panoramic X-ray, again for the cephalometric X-ray, and a third time for the cone beam scan. So, although this option may prevent a greater learning curve for the practice, it is not always the best methodology for the patient.
Option 2: Combination 3-in-1 Panoramic, Cephalometric, and CBCT Functions
The second option is to get an all-in-one dental cone beam system like an i-CAT Next Generation or i-CAT FLX v17 that can capture all patient records in a 4.8 second cone beam scan. From this one dental CBCT scan, the practice can then extract a 2D panoramic and cephalometric X-ray. In addition, the orthodontist also has access to any airway volumes or analysis if needed. So, both the practice and the patient benefit from a streamlined imaging workflow.
Additional Benefits of i-CAT Dental Cone Beam for Orthodontics
In addition to a more efficient workflow, i-CAT dental cone beam systems provide additional benefits to orthodontic practices.
- The included i-CAT Tx STUDIO software suite allows you to uncover a variety of orthodontic issues before and during treatment. Discover supernumerary teeth, hidden impactions, precise root angulations, exact condylar position, cortical plate distances, and airway volumes that you can’t get from traditional 2D images.
- You can also choose to add 3D ceph analysis which allows you to create traditional ceph tracings in a faster and more accurate way than traditional 2D anatomical tracing.
- Digital study models mean no more plaster models. This helps your office save space, time, and money.
- In one low-dose scan you capture every radiographic image necessary including panoramic, lateral ceph, AP ceph, and 3D volumes. All images will be ready to view in about 30 seconds.
Find Your Perfect 3D Cone Beam Unit Today!
Renew Digital has a large inventory of available i-CAT dental cone beam systems that are ideal for orthodontics. Plus, you get them for 30-50% off the cost of buying new. Every purchase includes installation, training, and a comprehensive parts and onsite labor warranty. Call us today at 888-246-5611 or reach out to a Sales Representative online for help finding the perfect i-CAT cbct system for your orthodontic practice.
