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SureSmile Uses CBCT to Reduce Exposure to Radiation and Improve Treatment

BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS— Technology continues to improve the way in which we provide orthodontic treatment, and one area where that is particularly true is X-rays.

As an orthodontic patient, the i-CAT cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) system exposes you to less radiation than a medical CT scan, while providing more detailed information to assist us in creating the ideal treatment plan for you.

“CBCT scans can identify many types of risks and problems,” says Buffalo Grove orthodontist Dr. Yan Razdolsky.

Using the CBCT scanner’s high resolution images, dentists and orthodontists obtain highly accurate and detailed 3-D views of all anatomies such as bone, teeth, tooth orientation, tooth and nerve relation, airways and sinuses, according to www.conebeam.com. CBCT scans also produce faster and more cost-efficient results.

SureSmile and CBCT
CBCT has gone beyond just serving as a tool for diagnosis and treatment, and has become an active element of many of our patients’ treatment, thanks to SureSmile.

SureSmile, one of the treatment options our Buffalo Grove Orthodontics office offers, uses CBCT to enable us to visually define the desired position of your teeth. It also calculates all of the customization needed to deliver Dr. Razdolsky’s plan.

This customization is then precisely translated to your archwires by SureSmile robots, which cuts treatment time by about one-third while also improving the quality of treatment results, according to the SureSmile website.

Here’s how the process works: first, the brackets are bonded to your teeth. Then the teeth and brackets are scanned with SureSmile’s proprietary software, which makes it possible for Dr. Razdolsky to reset your teeth to create ideal alignment. The SureSmile system then robotically bends your archwire to help guide your teeth into alignment.

“What the robot does for us is far more accurate and precise than what I am able to do by hand,” Dr. Razdolsky says. “Thanks to this precision and accuracy, the patient’s teeth are moved into proper alignment more quickly, which reduces overall treatment time.”

The combination of clear, 3-D X-rays that paint the most accurate of pictures and the precision of SureSmile’s robot enable us to better identify, diagnose and treat myriad orthodontic problems.