CBD practices share NewTom VGi-Evo

Twenty-five years ago, three dental practices in the Sydney CBD moved onto Level 12 of the Colonial Mutual Life Building at 14 Martin Place. The three practices relocated from nearby Challis House and in the move to new digs, occupied separate contiguous tenancies. At that time, one of the architects of the move, Dr Peter Anderson, coined a brilliant idea: why not share an OPG?

Fast forward to present day and even though the two other practices have both changed hands, the arrangement has endured. Dr Anderson's Martin Place Dental, Dr Sid Afshar's Premier Dental and Dr Dean Licenblat's Sydney Dental Aesthetics and Implants continue to operate independently whilst sharing a separate room for an x-ray, complete with separate entrance.

Apart from sharing the space for the x-ray, the three practices also share the cost of the purchase of the unit and have recently upgraded to the latest NewTom VGi-Evo, supplied by INLINE Medical & Dental.

"Sharing the cost of the NewTom between the three of us has made an expensive purchase do-able and allowed us to go for the top of the range model which is fully featured and as a result, reasonably future proof," Dr Anderson said. "The NewTom VGi-Evo has a large field of view, from 24 x 19cm down to 5 x 5 cm and the image quality is exceptional.

"We'd been talking about upgrading to a cone beam CT for a while so I did my homework on the systems available and talked to existing NewTom users, like Dr David Dunn, to hear about their experiences. Obviously the other practitioners had a lot of input as well. NewTom has a reputation as the Rolls Royce of cone beam imaging systems and it's a great product with great resolution. We have also dealt with Mike Harman from INLINE Medical & Dental, the agents for the NewTom, before and they are renowned for their outstanding service and support."

INLINE Medical & Dental subsequently installed the NewTom VGi-Evo eight months ago and trained all three practices in how to use it.

"Using a cone beam CT has been a big learning curve for me," Dr Anderson said, "and I'm convinced I've only just scratched the surface with what the system can do. Now that we've been using it for several months, Mike from INLINE has offered to return for some more advanced training and I'm looking forward to that.

"I can already see that this is one of the best technologies I've ever used in dentistry and I can now get clinical images that allow me to make a definitive diagnosis. There is no more guesswork.

"Being new to this technology, a couple of times when I have taken an image that I was unsure of, I've been able to send it to a dental radiologist for reporting to ensure I haven't missed anything. For $70, that gives me peace of mind."

Dr Anderson said that each practice had different reasons for wanting the NewTom.

"One of the main reasons I wanted the system was for endodontics," Dr Anderson said. "I refer implant surgery to specialists but some of the other practitioners who share the unit do place their own implants so that was another reason we invested in CBCT. With endodontics, you can reduce the field of view and with it the dose to effectively isolate individual teeth. The system picks up a lot more pathology than you see on 2D x-rays. There is exceptional clarity in the images - you can pick up root fractures, multi-rooted teeth, accessory canals and other complex anatomy.

"On problematic teeth, it allows you to clearly diagnose whether endodontic retreatment is an option or whether extraction is the only choice.

"I also use it for wisdom teeth; just the other day, a patient presented with a fourth molar and I was able to clearly see it was fused to the 8. So before we even started, I could see that both teeth would need to be extracted. The NewTom VGi-Evo allows me to plan the treatment precisely before commencing so there are no surprises."

Eight months after installation, all three practices are satisfied with their investment in CBCT.

"The NewTom VGi-Evo has been a great choice. The image quality is outstanding and Mike and his team at INLINE Medical & Dental have done a great job at installing the system, training all the practices on how to get the most from it and if there are any issues, they bend over backwards to ensure they are fixed.

"The NewTom VGi-Evo has added a new dimension to my dentistry and I can't wait to learn even more about what it can do."