Advanced Digital Radiology / CBCT Imaging
The Cone Beam Cat Scanners (CBCT) which are used at the Animal Dental Center’s facilities, are state-of-the-art imaging equipment. They allow our doctors to make accurate diagnosis and precise treatment planning in many oral disease entities. Scans are performed under anesthesia and take 20-30 seconds with minimal radiation exposure. Since the scanners are also portable they can be rolled up to the patient with minimal repositioning during a procedure. Learn more about our digital radiology CBCT:
- Patient Positioning - Animals are positioned in ventral recumbency on a gurney so that their head and possibly neck, dependent on the animal size, is within the rotating scanner field. The positioning is critical to prevent distortion of the image.
- Minimal Anesthesia Required - Since the scan is done so quickly, it can be used to evaluate the healing process in bone repair by either using an inhalant anesthetic or injectables with reversal agents.
- High Visualization Accuracy - The advanced 3-D reconstructions are beneficial when viewing destructive bone lesions seen in trauma cases, infections and neoplastic lesions. This allows the accurate surgical approach necessary for successful treatment.
Trauma Identification Within Hard Tissue
CBCT scans are often used to diagnose the extent of trauma to hard tissue seen in automobile collisions or animal altercations. The precise location of bone fractures seen in head trauma can be difficult to see with regular radiographs. The CBCT can not only pinpoint the damage but can be used to 3-D reconstruct the anatomy in order to repair or stabilize bones.
Tumor Diagnosis
CBCT is an essential tool for tumor diagnosis. It provides the fine detail to delineate how much of the tissue has been affected and for our oral surgeons the necessary operative anatomy to obtain clean margins. By manipulating the image scan a better understanding of the abnormal anatomy can be ascertained.
Advanced Periodontal Disease
Dental abscesses seen in advanced cases of periodontal disease can be challenging at times to see with only Digital Dental radiographs. This is especially true when there are Brachiocephalic breeds and the teeth, due to crowding, overlap each other. Our professional team can separate out individually the affected teeth with the CBCT in order to initiate the appropriate therapy. Often these non-vital teeth can cause facial swellings that can be confused with traumatic causes like insect stings.
Thinking about Anesthesia Free Pet Dentistry?
Call (410) 828-1001 to make an appointment at any of our locations or click below to contact us.
