Two weeks after Wilhelm Rontgen built on the work of his contemporaries and accidentally discovered X-ray technology in 1895, the German dentist Otto Walkhoff made a radiograph of his own teeth. The exposure took 25 minutes, and the results posed more questions than answers.

However, the moment was a turning point for dental care, ushering in an era of advanced visualization that has improved drastically over the past century.

Today, dental service providers are equipped with significantly more sophisticated technology in the form of 3D dental CT scans that create a 360-degree view of the teeth, gums, and bone structure. These scans help professionals to better diagnose problems, plan treatment solutions, and promote patient well-being.

3D dental CT scans are an upgrade over traditional 2D scans, which offer a quick way to attain a limited understanding of a patient’s oral health. The emergence of 3D technology paints an even clearer picture, creating value for patients and providers alike.

Here are five advantages of 3D dental CT scans, which emerged from more than a century of dental care technology to best promote oral health outcomes.

1. 3D Scans Allow Dentists to Locate the Exact Pain Location

More than 3.5 billion people globally have some form of oral disease, which can cause “pain, discomfort, disfigurement and even death,” according to the World Health Organization.

When patients go to the dentist with acute oral pain, 3D dental CT scans allow care providers to quickly and precisely identify the pain location. While 2D images have limited ability to identify some dental caries, 3D scans produce actionable insights that inform patient care.

For example, 3D scans allow dentists to easily locate the affected areas without distortion, clarifying treatment plans and minimizing side effects from the treatment process. 3D scans also have the ability to easily differentiate between different types of tissue, and between different bone strengths or bone densities, which improves diagnostic accuracy and care solutions.

3D dental CT scan machines can capture images as quickly as their 2D counterparts while providing significantly better insights that drive patient outcomes.

2. 3D Scans Generate Better Treatment Plans

3D dental CT scans help dentists generate treatment plans by showing them the exact shape, size, density, and condition of a patient’s jawbone and other structures. This is especially useful for planning dental implants, oral surgery, orthodontics, and other complex procedures.

By producing images in real-time, care providers can manipulate scans to enhance their holistic understanding of unresolved patient caries, and generate treatment plans to account for unique or complicated patient oral health concerns.

In other words, equipped with the actionable insights from 3D dental CT scans, dental service providers can effectively design implants, conduct ortho planning, and prepare for various patient cancers that require dentist intervention.

3. 3D Scans Let Dentists Make Surgical Guides

3D dental CT scans let dentists make surgical guides by providing precise and personalized 3D images of the patient’s mouth and face structures.

Dentists can use software to design surgical guides based on the 3D dental CT scan data and then 3D print them or contract with a producer to maximize resources and patient care opportunities.

When implemented effectively, computer guided surgeries done with the use of 3D scans make implant and other procedures faster, safer, and more accurate.

4. 3D Scans Quickly Pay for Themselves

3D dental CT scan machines are an upfront investment that produces a near- and long-term financial return on investment that makes practices more sustainable, competitive, and profitable.

Scanning just three patients each month will often cover the cost of financing, quickly making better technology and superior results profitable for practices.

5. 3D Scans Deliver the ‘Wow’ Factor

Patients have more options than ever when choosing a dental service provider. Dental service providers must deliver excellent patient experiences that surprise, delight, and deliver for their patients.

With real-time 3D dental CT scans, providers can show their patients on-site results, reviewing their oral health with visuals that elevate understanding and patient buy-in.

When scans reveal something interesting or cool, dentists can show their patients, making initial care plans in coordination with patients to promote better doctor-patient relations.

3D scans are also safer for patients, requiring less radiation and allowing users to carefully calibrate radiation levels, so patients feel safe and secure in the process.

The Future is 3D

The advent of 3D dental CT scans represents a major breakthrough in dental technology that is changing the landscape of dental care. These scans offer a range of benefits over traditional 2D scans, including greater diagnostic accuracy, faster treatment planning, and the ability to create personalized surgical guides.

3D scans also generate a quick return on investment, deliver a "wow" factor that enhances the patient experience, and promote greater safety and security for patients.

As the technology continues to evolve, 3D dental CT scans are quickly becoming an essential tool for dentists and other dental service providers looking to offer the best possible care for their patients.

Are you ready to take the next step in patient care? Our digital scanning technology lets you make the promise and potential of 3D dental CT scans a reality at your practice. Our team is ready to help you find the right product for your practice, including a demo that allows you to assess the efficacy and impact of 3D scans.

Visit DentalScience.com or contact our team to learn more today.

5 Ways 3D Dental CT Scans Enhance Dental Care