First Planmeca Viso® G7 user in Singapore appreciates high-resolution images at optimal patient doses

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr Chan Siew Luen has been working in his private practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre since 1994 with a focus on aesthetic and reconstructive jaw surgery. Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre is a premium private hospital, which hosts over 400 medical specialists. Approximately 50% of the patients come to the hospital overseas – especially from Indonesia but also from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

In his clinic, Dr Chan works together with a team consisting of a second maxillofacial surgeon, an orthodontist, an endodontist and a prosthodontist to offer patients all dental services they need. The high standards for dentistry in Singapore are one of the main reasons why many international patients choose to fly in for dental treatments, Dr Chan believes.

“We have patients coming in asking for the latest technology, even though it is not always needed for their case. The awareness of technical advancements has certainly grown among patients in the past years.”

Choosing Planmeca CBCT unit for large FOV and small patient doses

During Dr Chan’s 30-year career, dentistry has changed tremendously. It is quite unthinkable today that dentists would treat their patients without wearing protective gloves, which was the case in the past. When it comes to technology, thirty years ago a private practice with an OPG machine would have been considered an advanced practice. Today, having a CBCT machine is already mainstream in Singapore.

“Digitalisation has transformed many practices into modern dental practices. Our practice, for example, is completely paperless. We can provide our patients with the information they need at any time, even from home, safely through cloud services,” Dr Chan tells.

“When I got my first CBCT unit about 15 years ago, we used it sparingly because of the radiation exposure. It also took a lot of work to get the patient acceptance for using the technology. Today, patients are already aware that CBCT offers better imaging modalities than traditional 2D X-ray films, and the demand for CBCT has grown significantly,” he continues.

When it was time to replace his previous CBCT unit, Dr Chan turned to Planmeca for a new unit. He is the first dentist in Singapore to purchase Planmeca Viso® G7, the most advanced CBCT imaging unit Planmeca offers.

“As I was comparing different units, I was particularly impressed with the endodontic imaging mode and the clarity of a small field of view (FOV) image of a single tooth, in which I was able to see the crack lines clearly. But since I am not an endodontist, the most attracting thing for me was the large FOV of Planmeca Viso G7 – and especially the ability to take a large FOVs with comparatively low patient doses thanks to Planmeca Ultra Low Dose™ imaging protocol. That was an important advantage over other brands,” Dr Chan explains.

“The resolution of the CBCT images is second to none,” Dr Chan continues. “The 3D image is the best that I have seen in CBCT machines. A senior radiologist from a major teaching hospital also said it is even comparable to a conventional spiral CT, which, however, exposes patients to much higher doses.”

Convenience for users and patients alike

Dr Chan has been using Planmeca Viso G7 and Planmeca Romexis® imaging software since July 2021. Ever since, the unit has been in daily use both in treatment planning and in patient communication.

“We use our Planmeca Viso every day for all kinds of indications, e.g. to assess wisdom teeth proximity to inferior alveolar nerves, bone quantity for implant placement, temporomandibular joint disorders, bony pathology in the jaws, traumatic injuries to the face, and dentofacial deformities,” Dr Chan tells.

According to Dr Chan, patient positioning is a breeze using the video monitor of the device. Thanks to the flexible height adjustments of the unit, the positioning is more convenient for the patients as well, especially for children and exceptionally tall patients. It also allows patients to sit or stand during the imaging procedure.

“Furthermore, I use the Planmeca CALM® movement correction algorithm for all cases. It helps improve the image quality greatly,” Dr Chan adds.

Although Dr Chan had not used Romexis imaging software previously, it took only a little time to get used to the software and its tools for 3D imaging, TMJ analysis and implant planning.

“The software is generally intuitive and easy to learn. Handy features, such as the segmentation of jaws and teeth, make the visualisation of the case easier for patients. The airway measurement tool also provides an immediate and non-invasive appraisal of the dimensions of the airways. It is also very useful for the obstructive management of sleep apnea,” Dr Chan tells.

Modular platform allows adding new features later on

Dr Chan’s CBCT unit is equipped with Planmeca ProFace®, which allows capturing 3D photos of the patient with the X-ray unit. According to Dr Chan, the option to incorporate 3D photography in the CBCT unit itself instead of equipping a dedicated room for 3D photos is especially attractive in cities where additional floor space can be expensive, such as Singapore.

“Unique to Planmeca Viso and something I did not have in my previous CBCT is the Planmeca ProFace, which allows me to assess the soft tissue over the hard tissue and thus make a more accurate diagnosis,” Dr Chan says.

In September 2021, Dr Chan also added the feature for tracking jaw movements to his Planmeca Viso G7, since he treats many TMJ patients and wanted to use jaw motion tracking in the examinations. The feature is available as an additional software module Planmeca 4D™ Jaw Motion, which was added to the Romexis software platform with a simple software update.

“The possibility to add features to the imaging unit and software later is again something unique I did not have before. The Romexis 4D Jaw Motion gives a good record and visualisation of the movement of the condyles in function. I can achieve similar diagnostic values as with using a live continuous image intensifier, but at a fraction of the radiation dose,” Dr Chan tells.

“My patients are very impressed with Planmeca Viso G7 and especially its jaw motion tracking and Planmeca ProFace features, which are both something they have not experienced before in other dental clinics,” Dr Chan concludes.

Copy: Mari Koivunen
Images: Courtesy of Aesthetic Reconstructive Jaw Surgery dental clinic