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In-Office CT Scanner in Clyde, NC

It’s Clyde 3-D Imaging

John Highsmith DDS | In Office CT Scanner

By now, you probably realize that Dr. John Highsmith and Dr. Sylvia Jernigan are one of your premier choices for advanced dentistry in Clyde. Between their incredible training and experience, their artistic approach, and their dedication to their patients, people from all over North Carolina travel to experience this new standard in dental care near Asheville.

Patients can’t say enough about his compassionate approach and his dedication to their wellbeing. That dedication is most obvious in the hours of training he takes every year. But patients also benefit from his interest in and investment in advanced technology.

The Precision of Cone Beam Scanning

D. Highsmith was the first in Western North Carolina (2005) to have a state-of-the-art Dental CT scanner right in the dental office to diagnose and treat patients. Now that really IS advanced dentistry in Clyde!

The i-CAT Cone Beam imaging system scans your head and jawbones in 3-D, creating sharply detailed computer measurements of the head, joints, and airways that can be viewed from any angle and even as cross-sections.

This technology takes dental imaging decades beyond bitewing x-rays, where patients traditionally wear lead aprons and hold film in their mouths. Dr. Highsmith, your dentist near Asheville, uses the i-CAT to diagnose patients, spot disease, and test surgical procedures in 3-D. This helps predict outcomes for technical procedures like cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and neuromuscular dentistry.

How Cone Beam Imaging Works

Getting an i-CAT scan is easy and comfortable. Patients sitting in its open-air chair find it very different from lying down in hospital CT scanners. Sitting up reveals your natural posture and jaw positioning, and how you hold your jaw and teeth together.

All you have to do is place your head on a chin rest and let the i-CAT do the work as it orbits around your head. It takes only 20 seconds, producing a mere two percent (1/50th) of the radiation of a traditional CAT scan. “The i-CAT’s low-level amount is the same as eight days of regular outdoor background exposure,” says Dr. Highsmith, “what you get every day from just being alive.”

Dr. Highsmith uses the i-CAT as a tool for placing dental implants, treating impacted teeth, and diagnosing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. The 3-D views can reveal unusual tooth and root shapes, nerve canal locations, plus fractures, changes in bone density, abscesses, cysts, and even tumors.

The Benefits of Cone Beam Imaging

There are countless benefits to using the iCAT CT scanner for diagnosis as well as planning and preparing for almost any advanced dentistry in Clyde.

  • It’s a great teaching tool. On the computer screen, we can rotate your head in any direction. It’s amazing to see a picture of your own head from any view. It’s easy for patients to understand their condition and learn about the treatment process. Since this is all in one convenient visit, you can even take a photo home on CD to show your family.
  • It saves tons of time and money – and might even save your life!. Our in-office i-CAT saves a trip to the hospital for a CT scan, it’s a fraction of the radiation, and can help us catch a tumor. What’s not to like?
  • It makes planning for implants, dental surgery, and other advanced dentistry in Clyde a breeze. i-CAT lets Dr. Highsmith, your advanced dentist in Asheville perform virtual tooth surgery ahead of time to discover better treatment options and possible challenges. In fact, we can even make a template from this CT scan, allowing implant placement to be so precise, we can often eliminate stitches.

Sharing the Love

“Every dental professional could definitely make use of a 3-D dental scanner, but equipment costs can make that impractical,” says Highsmith. “I’ve notified professionals in the area and put my scanner at their service. Over 30 health professionals recently attended a reception and introduction to the technology.”

Periodontist Dr. Emily Hall of Waynesville has already sent patients to Dr. Highsmith for a scan visit. “This first experience with the 3-D imaging system was very positive,” said Dr. Hall. “Dr. Highsmith’s staff was professional and courteous to my patient. The data received was very helpful in treatment-planning this case. I highly recommend the use of 3-D imaging, and appreciate Dr. Highsmith offering this service to local dentists. I’m glad Dr. Highsmith stepped up to the plate to acquire this equipment for western North Carolina!”

To find out more about how i-Cat cone beam imaging can help you get the advanced dental treatment you need in Asheville, Clyde, and surrounding North Carolina, please give us a call. We love talking to patients about our technology!