Top Reasons Cone Beam CT Scanning Is Changing Dental Care in Butte
When most people think about dental X-rays, they picture the small film or sensor that a hygienist positions in their mouth for a few seconds — a flat, two-dimensional snapshot of a tooth or a section of the jaw. That image has been a cornerstone of dental diagnostics for over a century, and it still has its place. But for patients at Silver Creek Family Dentistry in Butte, there is a fundamentally different level of diagnostic capability available: Cone Beam CT scanning, a three-dimensional imaging technology that captures the entire oral and maxillofacial anatomy in a single scan with a level of detail that flat X-rays simply cannot provide.
Dr. Tyson Gundersen and Dr. Samantha Gaffney invested in Cone Beam CT technology because they believe that accurate diagnosis is the foundation of excellent treatment — and that three-dimensional information leads to three-dimensional clarity that changes what is possible for patients. Here’s what that means in practice.
1. It Shows Everything a Traditional X-Ray Misses
A conventional dental X-ray compresses a three-dimensional anatomy into a two-dimensional image, which means structures overlap and information is lost. A Cone Beam CT scan captures hundreds of individual images from different angles and reconstructs them into a precise three-dimensional digital model of the jaw, teeth, bone, nerves, sinuses, and surrounding structures.
The difference in diagnostic value is profound. Small cavities caught early. Bone density assessed accurately before implant placement. The precise path of the inferior alveolar nerve mapped before an extraction. Cracks and fractures in tooth structure visualized from angles that conventional imaging can’t reach. Root anatomy in all three dimensions before root canal therapy begins. For patients in Butte and surrounding Montana communities who want to know with confidence that their diagnosis is based on the most complete available information, the Cone Beam CT is the standard that makes that possible.
2. Implant Placement Is Planned With Surgical Precision
Dental implants are one of the most successful and long-lasting tooth replacement options available — but their success depends heavily on being placed in the right location, at the right angle, at the right depth, with sufficient bone support. A flat panoramic X-ray provides useful general information. A Cone Beam CT provides a three-dimensional map of exactly what is available.
Before placing any dental implant, Dr. Gundersen uses the Cone Beam CT scan to visualize the precise dimensions and density of bone at the implant site, identify the exact location of the inferior alveolar nerve and sinus floors to ensure safe clearance, evaluate the quality of bone for optimal osseointegration, and plan the implant placement with a level of predictability that reduces surgical variables dramatically. Patients who receive implants planned with Cone Beam CT imaging have a roadmap before a single instrument touches their mouth — and the outcomes reflect that precision.
3. It Improves the Safety and Predictability of Wisdom Tooth Removal
Wisdom tooth extraction is straightforward in many cases — but for impacted teeth in close proximity to the inferior alveolar nerve, to adjacent second molar roots, or to the maxillary sinuses in the upper jaw, the three-dimensional relationship between the tooth and surrounding structures is exactly what needs to be understood before removal begins.
Dr. Gundersen uses Cone Beam CT imaging for complex wisdom tooth cases to precisely map the nerve location relative to the roots, evaluate the degree and direction of impaction, assess the condition of adjacent second molars that may be affected, and plan the approach that minimizes risk and reduces recovery. Patients who were once told they would need to be referred to an oral surgeon in a distant city for complex extractions often find that the precision planning enabled by Cone Beam CT allows Dr. Gundersen to complete the procedure safely at our Butte office — a meaningful advantage for patients in a region where specialist travel can be a significant burden.
4. It Supports Accurate Orthodontic and TMJ Evaluation
Orthodontic evaluation — whether for traditional braces or clear aligner therapy — benefits significantly from three-dimensional visualization of tooth root positions, bone density, and the spatial relationships that determine how teeth can and should be moved. A flat X-ray gives a surface impression; a Cone Beam CT gives the structural reality beneath it.
For patients experiencing jaw pain, clicking, limited opening, or other symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, the Cone Beam CT provides imaging of the joint itself that flat X-rays cannot. The condyle position, the joint space, bone quality, and joint morphology can all be evaluated in three dimensions — providing Dr. Gundersen and Dr. Gaffney with information that changes how TMJ conditions are diagnosed and managed. For Butte patients who have been told their jaw pain is “just stress” without a thorough structural evaluation, a Cone Beam CT scan of the joint may be one of the most informative tests available.
5. It Helps Catch Pathology Before Symptoms Develop
One of the most valuable diagnostic applications of Cone Beam CT is the identification of findings that would have gone undetected on conventional imaging. Bone lesions, cysts, abscesses in their earliest stages, abnormalities in the sinus cavity, calcifications in soft tissue structures, and variations in root and nerve anatomy are all visible on Cone Beam CT that may not be apparent on standard X-rays.
For patients who have their Cone Beam CT as part of an implant or complex procedure workup, findings in adjacent structures — discovered incidentally — have sometimes led to the early identification of conditions that required further attention. Finding a concern when it is small and manageable is categorically better than finding it after it has grown. This is the dimension of the technology that most surprises patients who assumed it was only relevant to their specific planned procedure.
6. Radiation Exposure Is Minimal
A common patient question about Cone Beam CT scanning is whether the radiation dose is significantly higher than conventional dental X-rays. The answer is that a Cone Beam CT delivers more radiation than a single periapical X-ray, but the dose is a small fraction of a medical CT scan and is used selectively — for complex cases where the diagnostic value clearly justifies the exposure. The American Dental Association’s guidelines support Cone Beam CT use for the clinical scenarios where the information it provides materially changes treatment planning, which is exactly how Silver Creek Family Dentistry uses it.
Dr. Gundersen’s training in honors endodontics and honors orthodontics at Oregon Health and Science University, and Dr. Gaffney’s advanced training in IV sedation and her membership in the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, reflect a practice that has built its technology and team around a single standard: the most accurate, safest, and most effective care available in Butte, Montana.
Schedule Your Appointment at Silver Creek Family Dentistry
Whether you’re considering dental implants, have a complex tooth issue that hasn’t been fully diagnosed, or are curious about what a comprehensive evaluation with advanced imaging would reveal, our team is here to help. Silver Creek Family Dentistry is located at 245 E Park Street in Butte. Call us at (406) 494-7058 to schedule your appointment. Better imaging means better information — and better information means better care.
