ORTHOPHOS SL 3D: A Complete Imaging Solution for Every Practice

Tarun Agarwal, DDS, wants to do what he loves best—take care of patients and give them beautiful smiles.

“It’s more than just teeth,” says Agarwal, a general practitioner in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I want to be a dentist who changes people’s lives.” Having the ORTHOPHOS SL 3D from Dentsply Sirona enables him to be more efficient and spend more time with his patients.

The ORTHOPHOS SL 3D is a truly all-purpose imaging device. With its 3D volume flexibility due to its selectable fields of view and easier, more secure patient positioning for precise imaging, the ORTHOPHOS SL 3D facilitates every practice workflow. Paired with SIDEXIS 4 imaging software, it offers clinicians a range of x-ray options for their practice, allowing for exceptional efficiency.

“We have three fields of view: 5x5, which is a quadrant radiograph; 8x8, which ultimately is the second molar to second molar on the upper and lower jaws; and 11x10, which gives us upper jaw/lower jaw, sinus, third molars, and captures the airway in that single scan,” Agarwal says. These field-of-view options, he adds, allow him to take images of targeted areas of the mouth and reduce the amount of radiation that a patient may otherwise receive.

Also, dentists can opt for lower cost when initially purchasing the product. “It gives you an upgrade path,” he says. “If you are a younger dentist or you are early on your journey to 3D imaging, you can choose to have only 5x5 or 8x8 and then choose to add the 11x10 feature later on.”

ORTHOPHOS SL 3D features the metal architect reconstruction software (MARS), which minimizes the amount of scatter in the image. “Teeth with root canals, for example, produce scatter,” Agarwal says. “By having software to eliminate or minimize that scatter allows you to see the canals a little bit better. You’re able to see everything completely clearly versus having significant scatter in the field of view.”

Agarwal believes the improved efficiency in the clinician’s workflow is where ORTHOPHOS SL 3D shines the most. “Sirona combined and merged its digital CAD/CAM technology with its imaging technology. That means fewer patient visits and better outcomes. It means less time and costs to the patient and the practice,” he says. “Ultimately, we can take a digital impression of our patient, design a virtual wax-up of the patient’s tooth, integrate it into our cone-beam image, and plan the implant from a prosthetically driven basis. Instead of just planning the implant in the center of the bone, where the bone is, we can plan our implant to best support the tooth. This way we are producing implants that have the best outcomes for the teeth.”

The revised EasyPad, a touchscreen control for the device, provides higher resolution, higher contrast, and a better feel, making it even easier to use. In combination with the simple-to-use SIDEXIS 4 imaging software, ORTHOPHOS SL 3D facilitates your findings-oriented work.

Agarwal points to the product’s ability to allow him to virtually plan and fabricate surgical guides. “We can now produce the surgical guide for the patient in just under an hour,” he says.

A nice feature, Agarwal suggests, is the new SIDEXIS 4 version of software, which enables the clinician to make multiple changes to an image. With traditional 2D panorex x-rays, dentists need to line up the patient with the machine.

“The good news now,” he says, “is that if the patient is angled awkwardly when the image is taken, the software can make modifications and corrections by tilting the patient’s head.” Agarwal also notes that the software has a function that allows the clinician to evaluate airway function to aid in diagnoses in sleep-apnea cases.

Agarwal says the pricing is reasonable, if the clinician adapts the product in a stepwise process. “That’s a feasible way of doing it because it’s not a big shock to your practice, your bank account, or your team. You can start with just having the ability to diagnose, add implant software, add airway software, and add functionality,” he says.

“What Sirona really created was something for everyone, from the entry-level practitioner all to the way to the most complex user, because you can pick and choose along the way regarding how much you would like to integrate and how fast you would like to integrate it into your practice.”

dentsply sirona
4835 Sirona Dr, Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28273
800-659-5977
www.sirona.com