There have been numerous scientific publications about the value of CBCT scan when treating TMJ pain patients. These scans are truly diagnostic and provide information that was never able to be seen before. We are able to see the extent of degeneration in the joints, erosions, ostephyte formation, and even the position of the condyle in the joint socket. These are all in 3D! Truly amazing.
TMJ 3D scan showing the degeneration in the joints
If you really think about it, would you allow your orthopedic surgeon to do something to your knee or ankle without taking a look on a film to see what the probelm is? The TMJ joint is no different, how can you treat the joint if you do not know what is happening in the joint. Additionally, several machines offer full scan view which also allows us to see the neck For those who are current on the new CBCT technologies that exists to help patients, there is no more guessing. On a second note, it is important that patients and the medical profession understand the differences between CT scan and CBCT scan. CBCT scans are what is so diagnostic for dentistry and TMJ treatment. Medical CT scans are high in radiation and reveal more soft tissue information and are not as diagnositic for TMJ. Dental CBCT scans are minimal in radiation and allows to view more hard tissue structures. There is also a definitive skill in reading the CBCT scans and there are some excellent software, such as Anatomage that allow us to throughly analyze the area of interest in 3D. If you have questions regarding Houston TMJ or TMJ treatment Houston, please feel free to contact our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF 713-668-2289
