Review by Dr Marcus O’Meara, Brunswick Holistic Dental Centre, Brunswick Heads, NSW
When preparing for implants, we had to refer patients to a local radiology department for CT scans. There’s quite a lot of radiation with a CT scan and we started investigating ways to reduce that amount. This particular cone beam unit operates on a much smaller amount of radiation. The Kavo Pan Exam Plus 3D really is one of the best things we have in the practice.
What’s good about it
It creates high-quality three-dimensional images that are easy to understand. Along with our implant work, it’s very useful for risk assessment prior to extractions, assessing wisdom teeth, and for checking old root canals. Using the cone beam in these scenarios creates such a comprehensive picture around the tooth, it’s common to uncover little pockets of infection that you otherwise wouldn’t see.
The system is digital so there’s a lot less radiation than from a CT scan. This unit also allows us to focus the cone beam down to one particular area. If I’m doing a single implant I can make the focus quite small and that cuts down the dose of radiation significantly.
It’s a great tool for informing the patient of the pros and cons of a particular treatment and ensuring they know the risks involved.
I really am delighted with it.
What’s not so good
This unit functions with a low dose of radiation but it would be great if that dose could be even lower. I’m confident that as technology advances, the doses will be further reduced yet the quality of the image will be maintained.
Where did you get it
Henry Schein Halas (www.henryschein.com.au)
