When does in-office cone beam CT actually make economic sense for a dental practice?
In a small set of specific scenarios where the volume, isolation, or business model genuinely supports the equipment cost. The realistic scenarios include large oral surgery practices running enough implant and surgical volume that the scan utilization actually approaches the five-per-week claim. Practices in geographic vacuum locations where the nearest CT facility is hours away and patient travel becomes a barrier to imaging. Practices with substantial in-house marketing operations producing consistent big-case volume that justifies the imaging infrastructure. Doctors building a second business as a free-standing imaging facility serving the local dental community, although this is usually a separate strategic decision rather than a complement to clinical practice. Outside these scenarios, the math does not work. The typical general practice, the small implant practice, the medium-sized prosthodontic practice, and the part-time complex case practice all lose net by purchasing the unit. The better path for these practices is to outsource CT imaging through services like Simplant or Nobel, get the diagnostic capability without the lease drain, and redirect the saved capital into marketing operations that actually produce big cases.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.