That’s a big series of words for a dental technology that actually works out to be pretty simple! Understanding each term in the name can enable you to understand what this imaging system is, what it does and the ways your health can benefit. 

Cone beam computed tomography is usually abbreviated as CBCT. 

Computed Tomography (CT Scan)

To begin understanding this system, let’s start with something you may have already heard of or even experienced: A CT Scan. If you’ve had one, it’s possible that no one ever explained to you what the words mean or what this scan is or does. We’ll break it down for you. 

• Tomography: This is a method of creating a three-dimensional image of the inside of the body. Tomo comes from a Greek word meaning section. Graphy refers to writing or picturing something in a particular way, such as photography. So tomography provides detailed imaging of any section of the body. 
• Computed tomography: By connecting a machine taking these three-dimensional images to a powerful computer, a massive amount of digital data can be recorded and then retrieved. Thousands of images can be recorded and then can be viewed separately or assembled into a model of a body part.
• CT Scan: With the computer working together with the imaging machine, a detailed form of radiography is accomplished. Radiology refers to the creation of images of the inside of the body using very tiny radiation exposure. An x-ray is another form of radiography. But an x-ray can only shine a radiation source all the way through a part of the body. A CT scan can isolate any slice of the body at any depth, and permit close examination of that individual image. Each of these minute slices is referred to as a cross-section. Multiple cross-sections can be assembled into a three-dimensional model of any part of the body. 

So if you had a CT scan in the past, a doctor could look for abnormalities in muscles, bones, ligaments, organs or any other part of the body. For example, an intestinal blockage might not be able to be diagnosed with an x-ray. But a CT scan could enable a doctor to detect the cause of an intestinal blockage because of the greater depth and detail available in a CT scan. 

What Does a Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scan Show?

All the following structures can be viewed in detail by your StarBrite Dental practitioner when a dental cone beam CT has been completed: 

• Bones of the upper and lower jaw
• Insides and outsides of teeth
• Muscles
• Blood vessels
• Nerves and nerve channels
• Glands
• Sinuses
• Airway including nasal cavity, pharynx and larynx
• Tongue
• Temporomandibular joint and cartilage

The precision of your dental treatment is greatly aided by the use of cone beam CT. As our goal is the very best result possible from your treatment at StarBrite Dental, we always use the most advanced cone beam CT technology available.