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by Dr Danilo Strumendo, Smiles of Ryde, NSW
The CS 9600 is a cone beam computer tomography unit that acquires 3D images of the patient’s jaw. It’s an amazing piece of technology that works quickly and produces high-quality images.
What’s good about it
The one thing that really stands out with this unit is a feature called metal artefact reduction or MAR. When taking a CBCT scan, patients often have a lot of metal restorations that cause an image to scatter. The result looks like starbursts and the interference make diagnosis difficult. The MAR eliminates all the scatter while still highlighting the restorations. This is very important with implant planning and the design of surgical guides as they must be extremely accurate.
This is our first CBCT scanner. I did a lot of research before settling on the CS9600 and it has been an absolute game changer at our practice. It can scan a single tooth which is great for root canal work. It also takes accurate bite wings and OPGs. It even highlights sinus and airway patency problems. I’ve suggested a sleep study to a couple of patients.
Operating the unit is straightforward and intuitive. It comes with a comprehensive manual and Carestream produce a lot of informative videos. Some of the staff were a little apprehensive about this large, high-tech piece of equipment but they were comfortable with it very quickly. Patients love that the whole process is over so quickly and are always impressed with the results.
What’s not so good
It’s a big unit and may be impossible to fit in a smaller practice. We’re lucky to be in an older building with high ceilings. Initially, we thought it would need its own room but we managed to position it in the corner of one of the surgeries. I had to remove a few cupboards and cut the bench but we made it work.
