Your Dental Cone-Beam CT Appointment: Before, During and Results

If the words “CT scan” have made you picture an unfamiliar machine, ask the dental team to describe this appointment before you arrive. Bring the referral or appointment instructions so you can check which scan has been requested.

Before: confirm the reason and preparation

Ask: “What question will this scan help you answer about my treatment?” Request an explanation of the proposed scan, its radiation exposure and the alternatives before agreeing.

Tell the radiographer if you might be pregnant. For implant planning, the clinic may ask you to bring a localisation stent, a plate worn during imaging.¹

Guy’s and St Thomas’ advises loose clothing around the neck and removal of head and neck jewellery, glasses, dentures and hearing aids before scanning.¹

Use your own clinic’s instructions for preparation. Check what to bring, whether any eating or medicine instructions apply, and whom to call if something is unclear. Avoid changing prescribed medicines based on a general appointment guide.

During: understand the positioning

You may sit or stand. Staff position your head, then ask you to stay still as the scanner moves around it. Tell the radiographer if enclosed spaces make you anxious.¹

Before imaging begins, ask how staff will communicate with you and what to do if you need help. If holding a position is difficult, tell them while they are setting up.

After: check the next appointment

At Guy’s and St Thomas’, patients may leave after scanning or see the dentist again; the clinic describes no special aftercare. Specialists send a report to the referring healthcare professional.¹

Before leaving, confirm whether you should return to the dental team that day. Ask for your clinic’s aftercare directions and a contact number for questions.

Results: arrange an explanation

Ask who will discuss the report with you and when you should expect contact. Write down whom to call if that date passes. At the discussion, request an explanation of how the findings affect the proposed treatment and what decision comes next.

Keep your questions together

Is It My Breath? includes a visit script and a red-flag list. Use the visit script to collect the questions you want answered about the appointment; keep your referral and the clinic’s instructions with them.