See your Patients from Every Angle

It’s like seeing a picture of a room vs walking around it,” is how Dr. Trevor Nichols describes the difference between 2D and 3D imaging. “You just get so much more perspective.”

A board-certified orthodontist and self-proclaimed "esthetic magician," Dr. Nichols admittedly “does things a bit differently” at Nichols Orthodontics + Aesthetics in Queen Creek, AZ. His treatment goes beyond occlusion and alignment, weighing everything from facial profile and lip volume down to the shape, color, and proportion of individual teeth.

Tying all that together takes hardware and software working in tandem, and for Dr. Nichols, that means the ORTHOPANTOMOGRAPH OP 3D LX capturing images and DTX Studio Clinic pulling them into one place.“DTX Studio Clinic has become our imaging home base,” he said.

Everything in One View

Orthodontic diagnosis rarely rests on a single image. Between clinical photos, panos, CBCTs, and intraoral scans—plus imaging from referring dentists—the pieces scatter across as many places as there are formats. Dr. Nichols says consolidating them with DTX Studio Clinic removes that friction entirely.

“What's nice about DTX Studio Clinic is I don’t have to think about all the moving parts,” he said. “I can open the patient file and see everything together."

The AI-powered DTX Studio Clinic unites 2D and 3D X-rays, photos, and scans into a single platform that works with a practice’s existing technology and can be accessed from anywhere. The software delivers full-mouth AI detection and intelligent layout alignment in seconds for seamless diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient connection. Features like automatic case setup and tooth-by-tooth navigation help Dr. Nichols save time, especially when he's jumping between chairs.

“The sooner that I can get up to speed, the more communication I can have with the patient,” he added.

When 3D Changes the Diagnosis

Dr. Nichols relies on 3D imaging for initial diagnosis but leans on it hardest when volumetric data can redirect treatment: impacted teeth, questionable root positions, root resorption, skeletal discrepancies, expansion, TMJ, or surgical planning.

Nowhere are the stakes higher than airway, especially in Dr. Nichols' practice, where it drives half the caseload.

"If I only have a 2D image and the patient has an airway issue, I may not even know it and we may miss it," he said. "They could come back in as an adult or go to another orthodontist, and it's like, 'Gosh, you really could have used expansion at a younger age to save you from the apnea that you have now.'"

More Information, Less Friction

For Dr. Nichols, the value of technology goes beyond bells and whistles.

"We don't want technology that gives us more work; we want technology that gives us more information with less friction," he said. "And that's really where DTX Studio Clinic has become the most valuable for us."

Much of that friction clears before he reaches the operatory. The team runs setup end to end—positioning the patient, capturing the x-rays, running the scout, and exporting the images—then leaves the 3D volumes open and waiting.

Much of the 3D anatomy is already traced through AI, so the team simply confirms findings with a few clicks before the doctor even sits down.

Earning the Patient's Trust

Patients often can't see what Dr. Nichols sees—whether it’s an impacted tooth, a constricted airway, or a planned growth change—and asking them to accept treatment on faith invites the same skepticism people bring to any expert.

"It's kind of like going to the mechanic. If you go and bring your car in and something's making a noise, you have to just trust the mechanic,” he explained, “and sometimes, you don't."

With DTX Studio Clinic, Dr. Nichols can present all image types side by side in a visual gallery, giving patients a clear view of their oral health from every vantage point. Clicking on any tooth reveals its entire 2D and 3D history, allowing him to show change rather than describe it. This evidence, he said, turns a complicated orthodontic explanation into something patients can see and trust.

"We can put the original records next to where we are now and say, 'This is what we were concerned about before, this is what's changed through our treatment, and this is what we're going to do next.'"

The History Tells the Story

Dentistry, and orthodontics in particular, requires more than a snapshot. A course of treatment often spans 18 to 24 months—sometimes years of growth—so what matters most isn't any single image but how they accumulate.

"In ortho, one image tells you where you are, but the imaging history tells us where we're going," Dr. Nichols said, "and that, for us, is really important."