OrthO tribunE | OctObEr 2009 OT Online To register for and view Dr. Edgren’s complete Webinar on 3-D imaging, including a discussion of these cases and others, check out the online archives section of the brand new Ortho Tribune Study Club at www. OTStudyClub.com. trends size of the cyst. The patient was so impressed with the i-CAT scan that he consequently set his daughter up for orthodontic treatment. One of my most unusual cases involved a young patient who came in for braces, but after the i-CAT scan left with some clues that led to 5 an ENT solving the mystery of her hearing loss (Fig. 5). While some of these cases show hidden pathologies, it is no secret that 3-D imaging sheds light on our more difficult cases and, no matter what our specialty is, adds a new dimension to our practices. OT ADS Fig. 5: Mysterious hearing issue solved. molars to erupt prior to initiating phase II treatment. After the other three second molars had already erupted, as part of progress records, the i-CAT® scan showed that an impacted third molar was impeding the eruption of the maxillary right second molar (Fig. 1). On previous “standard” pans, the fourth third molar was perfectly superimposed with the second molar, and was not evident. This second molar may never have erupted, or worse yet, may have been presumed to be “ankylosed.” In another example, a patient was referred from an oral surgeon for an i-CAT scan. The referring oral surgeon wanted to clarify diagnoses made at another office, based upon previous digital pans, including a supernumerary, odontoma, failure to erupt and/or ankylosed deciduous second molar. On the scan (Fig. 2), it was evident that it was just an ankylosed deciduous second molar, eliminating the need for a previously planned exploratory surgery. This patient also owes her future nice occlusion to 3-D imaging and diagnosis. Our cone beam also gave us a great view of another patient’s horizontally impacted maxillary central incisor (Fig. 3). When treatment started, the i-CAT machine aided the oral surgeon in exposing and placing a gold chain on the cen- tral incisor for guided eruption. Her impacted canine, detected on the previous scan, has also since been brought into place. Regarding patient education, an oral surgeon referred a patient for an i-CAT scan to verify the position of the mandibular canal in relationship to the impacted third and dentigerous cyst prior to extraction (Fig. 4). This helped the patient visualize the extent of the third molar impaction and appreciate the OT About the author Dr. Bradford Edgren earned a doctorate of dental surgery from University of Iowa, College of Dentistry and a master of science in orthodontics. He is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics, is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and is a member of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics. He is also a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists, Colorado Orthodontic Association, The Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists — Southwest Component, American Dental Association, Colorado Dental Association and Weld County Dental Association.