For Patients

On the day of the scan

Please arrive at your doctor’s office, or RDIC’s Wauwatosa location, at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time.

If your appointment is with RDIC’s Mobile Imaging Center, our Registered Radiology Technologist will arrive at your doctor’s office and speak with your doctor and/or office staff prior to your exam.

During your radiology appointment, you will remain fully clothed.

Please do not wear bulky clothing (ex. thick sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, hoodies, etc.).

You will have to remove glasses, dentures and all accessories from the neck up (necklaces, earrings, nose/tongue jewelry, barrettes, bobby pins, etc.).

You will NOT need to refrain from eating or drinking and NO shots or liquids will be given prior to the scan or during the scan.

Scan times depend on the exam ordered by your doctor, and can range from 17-24 seconds. From start to finish, the entire exam should take less than 30 minutes.

Female patients: If you are pregnant or think there is a chance you are pregnant, please be sure to inform the Registered Technologist prior to your exam.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at 414-771-9171 for our Wauwatosa Imaging Center or at 414-943-7342 for our Mobile Imaging Center.

Your images will be made accessible promptly for the doctor following your scan.

Thank you for choosing RDIC for your imaging needs.

We look forward to meeting you, and we are excited to introduce you to the latest technology.

Advantages of Cone Beam CT

• No pre-scan preparation needed
• SafeBeam technology = lower radiation for patients
• Takes about 17 seconds to complete one NewTom VG scan with only 3.6 seconds of actual radiation exposure
• Infinite number of 3-D views created from one scan taken in seconds
• RDIC will travel to your doctor’s office and we are conveniently located in Wauwatosa.

RDIC can travel to your doctor’s office for your convenience.  RDIC simplifies what is otherwise a prolonged, time consuming, and open-ended process. Imagine the convenience of having a CT scan performed at your own doctor’s office in our state of the art mobile platform.

Safe Beam Technology

Our NewTom VG employs Safe Beam technology, which automatically adjusts the radiation dosage according to the patient’s age and size. This technology uses intermittent bursts of radiation only milliseconds long, not the constant radiation stream typical of many other imaging products. With NewTom VG, a patient’s exposure to radiation is most often significantly less than that of other systems. Children, for example, receive up to 40% less radiation than adults during a typical scan.

NewTom’s Safe Beam image acquisition is the safest proven technology available today, for both patients and dental teams.

Patient FAQ

How does RDIC work?
The RDIC van will travel to your dental practitioner’s office to perform the service by appointment.

How are the appointments scheduled?
Appointments can be scheduled by the dental office staff or directly by you.

Wauwatosa Imaging Center:414-771-9171

Mobile Imaging Center:414-943-7342

How soon will the doctor get the images?
RDIC’s goal is provide images to your doctor within one business day.

How long does the CBCT take?
The entire service takes 10-15 minutes. CBCT takes less than 18 seconds.

What does the RDIC van look like?
Our Mobile van design is spacious, comfortable, and beautiful with a warm professional environment to meet all the patients’ needs.

What does the CT equipment look like?
You will sit comfortably in a chair while a C-shaped arm rotates around your head. Within the arm there is an X-ray source and detector (X-ray receiver), which will make one complete 360 Degree rotation. While the arm is rotating, it is capturing multiple images of your head from different angles. These images are then reconstructed to create a 3D image of your internal anatomy.

Why do I need a Cone Beam CT scan (CBCT)?
CT scans are becoming the Standard of Care in dentistry, and an important part of your diagnosis and treatment planning, particularly in complex cases and when dental implants are recommended. Scans are much superior to the conventional 2D dental x-rays, they provide the dentist with the most advanced technology to view your jaws and teeth, and all other related structures. These records help your doctor visualize parts of your anatomy that can’t be seen with the naked eye or conventional dental x-rays. CBCT will show the bones of the jaw and face, the roots of the teeth, and many other hard tissue structures of the head and neck. These records, combined with your doctor’s expertise, help assure that you receive the best professional treatment and satisfaction.

Why a CBCT rather than a regular medical scanner or regular dental X-rays?

• CBCT radiation exposure to the patient is only a tiny fraction compared to that of a regular medical CT scanner.
• CBCT offers a much faster scan time, as it takes only seconds for the scan and the patient is in a sitting position.
• Unlike regular dental X-rays, CT scans can discriminate between many types of tissue including bone, teeth, nerve canal, sinuses, and soft tissue in three dimensions.
• CBCT scans are non-invasive, and can eliminate the need for exploratory surgery in some cases.
• CBCT scans can more readily identify sinus and root canal infections, hard tissue tumors, fractures, TMJ [joint] dysfunction and other pathologic lesions than regular dental X-rays.
• It is a cost effective tool for three dimensional imaging to provide studies of a wide range of clinical problems and solutions.

Who pays for the scan?
Payment for the Cone Beam CT Scan is required the day of the scan by the referring doctor or the patient.

How should I prepare?
No preparation needed for a CBCT scan of the head. You will need to remove anything that might interfere with imaging such as earrings, necklaces, piercing, hairpins and eyeglasses. The technician may ask you to also remove dentures or other appliances, unless specified by the referring doctor.

What do I need to bring to my appointment?
By law, you must bring a signed referral form from your referring doctor. For dental implant planning or jaw joint studies, your dentist may provide a scanning appliance to be utilized as well. If you normally wear a full or partial dentures, bring those also.

Why do I have to remove my jewelry?
Items such as earrings, necklaces, piercings, and hair clips interfere with the quality of the scan.

Are these scans safe?
Yes. One of the distinct advantages of Cone Beam CT imaging versus standard hospital-based CT scans is the decreased radiation dosage and patient-friendly environment. The amount of radiation needed for one of our all-digital scans is about 70% less than a full-mouth set of dental x-rays, less than a standard dental panoramic x-ray and equivalent to 2 days of background environmental exposure by living in the United States. We are annually inspected and approved for radiation safety.

Do you have specific radiation dosage information?
RDIC is completely digital. There is a significant reduction in radiation compared to full mouth x-rays. Additionally, our volumetric scanner, the NewTom3G, offers the lowest dose available while providing superior image quality. For those interested, we provide detailed dosage information.