Let CBCT Be Your Guide to Greater Confidence
Find out how one doctor is heading into 2023 with more confidence, less stress, and a streamlined implant workflow—thanks to Planmeca 3D imaging technology and education
Over the past two years, dental practices have adjusted to new, changing, and sometimes frustrating guidelines due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But not all guidelines lead to frustration. For example, some aim to improve care by serving as an essential blueprint to success.
Dr. Petkevis, a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists who has been placing implants for nearly a decade, has been reaping the benefits of using the Planmeca Romexis software to plan implant treatments and create surgical guides. As a result, he has the confidence to take on challenging cases that previously would have been referred to an implantologist.
“We’re finding so many issues and answering a lot of unsolved mysteries just through imaging, and being able to plan implants now with the technology just makes the workflow a lot less stressful from my end,” he said.
Predictable Implant Outcomes
Dr. Petkevis, a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists who has been placing implants for nearly a decade, has been reaping the benefits of using the Planmeca Romexis software to plan implant treatment and create surgical guides. While the volume of his implant cases has not yet changed, he admits to having greater confidence to take on bigger challenges that otherwise may have been referred out to an implantologist.
“Now, I’m just doing guided implant surgery. It’s just having more confidence, a lot of the guesswork has been taken out because the cases have already been planned, we’ve identified any vital structures, we know the sizes, we know what to expect, so the outcomes are more predictable,” he shared.” So, it makes the experience a lot less harrowing from a placement standpoint.”
“We’re finding so many issues and answering a lot of unsolved mysteries just through imaging, and being able to plan implants now with the technology just makes the workflow a lot less stressful from my end.”
- Jason Petkevis, DMD, FAGD, FICOI
Technology Backed by Education
Dr. Petkevis recently attended a hands-on course at Planmeca’s state-of-the-art training facility in Hoffman Estates, IL, focused on CBCT and the implant workflow. He described it as great experience that he wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to his peers.
“The first day, we worked with a radiologist who taught us how to go through a checklist or protocol for evaluating the scans, reading anatomy, and looking for pathology, and then the next day, we worked primarily on implant planning, and we were hands on in the Planmeca Romexis software working on cases and learned a couple of tips and tricks,” he said. “So, it was very worthwhile and impactful for the practice.”
In addition to in-person courses at Planmeca headquarters, the manufacturer regularly organizes expert virtual trainings for its customers around the world, as well as offers a range of online training materials, webinar recordings, tutorial videos, and quick guides—all free of charge.
An Easier Patient Conversation
In general, Dr. Petkevis says that patients are very impressed when they look at a 3D scan taken with the Planmeca ProMax 3D Plus, and so far, he’s heard no objections to capturing 3D images.
“Patients are on board with it, and they really are impressed with it. I think they appreciate that we have this technology to offer,” he said. “For example, yesterday I saw a patient who was experiencing tooth pain. She had really large lingual tori, so when you take a 2D x-ray, you really don’t see anything. I told her, ‘Let’s try doing one of these three-dimensional x-rays,’ and sure enough, she had a huge infection that there was no way I would have been able to see any other way. So, we were able to get her taken care of before the holidays.”
The Planmeca ProMax 3D Plus also has made conversations around implant placement easier on both sides of the chair. Dr. Petkevis often fields questions from patients who have had freehand implants done in the past and are curious about the extra steps involved with guided placement.
“Once you explain it to them, they understand it, and then it makes a lot of sense. I tell them we’re getting more predictable results, a safer way of doing surgery with vital structures being identified beforehand, and that we’re taking the guesswork out of the actual surgery itself, and they get it,” he said. “So, overall, patients have been very receptive.”
Capturing Anatomy at the Lowest Dose
When it came time for Dental Distinction to invest in 3D imaging, one big factor to consider was radiation dose. Dr. Petkevis shared that Planmeca’s commitment to designing 3D units that can capture incredible diagnostics at the lowest possible dose was a huge draw. The Planmeca Ultra Low Dose imaging protocol is a proprietary feature that allows him to capture CBCT images with an even lower patient radiation dose than a standard panoramic image.
“I’d say that the majority of the time—the overwhelming majority of the time—we’re using the Planmeca Ultra Low Dose feature,” he said. “So, when we explain that to patients, we say, ‘Listen, we’re fortunate enough to have this technology that is putting out the same amount of radiation that we would achieve with our digital 2D radiographs. We get more information with the same amount of radiation.’ And once they hear that, then they really don’t have much to object about.”
