Natural Smiles takes a digital x-ray when a decision needs new information. Dr. Carlo Litano, DMD reserves the CBCT scan for cases that need a 3D view. Patient risk and health history together drive the choice. Imaging has to earn its dose before it happens. Natural Smiles is a biological dentistry practice in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Dr. Litano brings more than 20 years of biological practice to this work.
Imaging has to earn its dose
Digital x-rays use low radiation. Sensors capture detail with less exposure than film ever needed. The as-needed schedule keeps the total dose lower still, since a picture gets taken when it changes what we decide to do next. X-rays get read against the patient’s health history before a plan moves forward. A picture earns its place when it changes a decision.
Digital x-rays and how we schedule them
Digital images appear on screen right away. There’s no film, no chemicals, and no waiting for a print. A picture can go straight into the patient’s record and get enlarged on screen for a closer look at a tooth or a root. The schedule follows the patient’s risk and history above anything else. We review the record first, then decide if a new x-ray adds anything worth knowing.
How children are imaged
Children get imaged with care. Natural Smiles images children conservatively.
When a 3D scan is used
A CBCT scan comes into the plan when a case needs a three dimensional view of bone and soft tissue that a flat x-ray cannot give. The scanner stays on site at Natural Smiles. It supports surgical planning, implant planning, cavitation screening, sinus mapping, and airway evaluation, and the same scanner reads results for sleep apnea screening inside the same office.
What a 3D scan shows
A 3D scan shows bone and soft tissue in three dimensions. It reads bone density ahead of implant planning, including planning for zirconia ceramic implants, and it can surface a cavitation or an old root canal site that a flat x-ray would miss. A flat x-ray cannot show these details the same way.
How images are read
A new image gets read alongside the patient’s full history. Dr. Litano looks at past findings together with any new picture before making a call on treatment.
What to do next
New patients start with a consultation and a 3D scan. The visit ends with a written plan that covers treatment and prevention. The consultation gives a written treatment plan and cost estimate before any decisions. Imaging is priced within the visit or plan it serves, inside that same estimate.
