3D Dental Imaging

Forefront Dentistry, Tulsa OK

3D Dental Imaging is a tremendously useful technology that our practice offers in-house. This technology has revolutionized our ability to accurately diagnose difficult cases and has completely transformed our dental implant planning process. Traditional dental x-rays are very important, but because they only let us see in two dimensions, they are missing the key third dimension of depth often required for proper visualization. As a diagnostic tool, 3D imaging aids us immensely in diagnosing teeth with certain types of fractures or trauma. In addition, it is an excellent tool to help diagnose certain tooth infections by showing bone anomalies, defects, and lesions. 3D imaging has become our standard of care when it comes to bone grafting and placing dental implants. When a tooth must be extracted and a dental implant is the planned treatment, a socket preservation bone graft is performed at the time of extraction. Once the bone graft has proper time to heal, we use the 3D imaging to take precise measurement of the regenerated bone. Doing so allows us to know exactly how much bone was regenerated and what size of dental implant would best fit the site. Because of 3D imaging technology, we are able to acquire all of this important information ahead of the surgical appointment. When it comes time to actually place the dental implant, we already know how much bone we have to work with and the best size of dental implant to place. In addition, we will have already mapped out all the important anatomy in the area to keep the patient safe during the implant placement appointment. By planning ahead in this way, it allows us to focus on taking excellent care of our patient during the procedure.