Understanding your dental CBCT scan

What CBCT is and what it shows

Cone-beam CT is a three-dimensional imaging technique optimized for the jaws and paranasal structures. It gives clinicians a volumetric view of bone height, width, density, and adjacent anatomy — inferior alveolar nerve, maxillary sinus floor, adjacent tooth roots — that a two-dimensional panoramic radiograph cannot.

For implant planning it is not a luxury. Planning implant position, angulation, and depth without a 3-D volume is planning without a full picture.

Radiation dose in context

CBCT dose depends on field of view and settings, but is significantly lower than medical CT. Small-volume dental CBCT is on the same order of magnitude as a few days of natural background radiation. The 'as low as reasonably achievable' (ALARA) principle applies — the scan should be indicated, and the field of view should match the clinical question.

Questions worth asking

1. Is the CBCT indicated for my specific case?
2. What field of view is being used, and is it limited to the surgical region?
3. Can I receive the DICOM data on portable media?
4. Will the same scan be usable for guided-surgery planning?