A CBCT scanner, short for cone beam computed tomography, is a 3D X-ray. Where a regular dental X-ray shows your teeth as a flat picture, a CBCT scan captures your jaw, bone, nerves, and sinuses in full three dimensions. Having one in-house on Medical Avenue is a real difference for our implant patients. It means Dr. James Willis can plan and place your implant in the same office, with no outside referral and no extra trips across the Valley for imaging.
Why 3D Matters for Implants
Placing an implant well depends on knowing exactly how much bone you have and precisely where your nerves and sinus cavities sit. A flat X-ray cannot show that. A CBCT scan can. With a true 3D view, Dr. Willis plans the angle, depth, and position of your implant down to the millimeter before he ever begins, which means fewer surprises, a safer procedure, and a result that lasts.
What the Scan Is Like for You
The scan itself is quick and easy. You sit or stand still while the scanner rotates around your head one time, taking just a few seconds. There is nothing to bite down on hard, nothing uncomfortable, and no need for a separate appointment somewhere else. Modern CBCT uses a focused, low-radiation beam, so you get detailed images with a small dose.
We Look at It Together
Once your scan is ready, we pull it up and walk through it with you in plain English. You see your own jaw on the screen, where the bone is solid, where an implant will sit, and why we are recommending what we are recommending. It turns your treatment from something that happens to you into a plan you understand and agree to.