The Dental Practice Owner's Guide to Choosing and Buying a CBCT

As a dental practice owner, investing in new imaging equipment, like a Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), is a huge decision that can significantly impact the quality of patient care and the overall success of your practice.

To ensure you make an informed and strategic choice, it is essential to carefully consider several factors before purchasing new imaging equipment. Considering these key criteria will not only help make your conversations with sales representatives easier and more efficient, but it will also minimize the chances for bumps in the road after you make your big purchase.  

Thankfully, the GroupUps team is familiar with all these criteria, as we coach our dentists through them all during our consultative process when we’re helping them to outfit a new practice with equipment, upgrade or remodel an existing practice or replace a piece of equipment that no longer serves them.

Below, we will guide you through the key things every dental practice owner should know before selecting the right imaging technology for their practice.

Prepare for the question, “Why are you looking for a CBCT?”

Any distributor rep or sales ally like GroupUps will want to know some of the below before they get too far into the process of helping you find your CBCT:

• Are you adding an additional CBCT, replacing an existing one, or getting one for the first time?
• Are you replacing an outdated panoramic system with a CBCT unit?
• Is this your first time purchasing this type of equipment, or have you purchased one in the past?
• While these might not seem like important question on their own, questions like these  help the team ask the right follow-up questions, and ensure they are matching their language and level of detail to your level of experience and understanding of the machine itself.

Share any specialties and key procedures

Different dental specialties may require specific imaging features and capabilities, so you should be prepared to share some of the specialty services and procedures that are done at your practice.

If you do any of the following, you’ll want to be sure to disclose that so it can be taken into consideration with regard to the capabilities of different imaging machines, manufacturers, and models:

• Airway / Sleep
• Endodontics
• Implants
• Invisalign / Aligners
• Oral Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry

And don’t just list the things you’re doing now! Do your best to include the specialties and procedures your practice hopes or plans to offer in the future, too. (You wouldn’t want to make a massive purchase today, only to discover it doesn’t support your 2-5 year growth plan!)

Consider equipment compatibility and software integrations

Any new imaging equipment you bring into your practice needs to seamlessly integrate with your existing technology infrastructure.

You may find it helpful to list out the various pieces of equipment that will need to interface with your new imaging technology, such as scanners, handheld devices or CAD/CAM systems. Making this list ahead of time, and having it handy during your purchasing process, will help make checking for compatibility a lot easier and faster.

You also want to verify that the imaging software will be compatible with your practice management software as well, to help streamline data management and enhance workflow efficiency.

Establish your purchasing preferences upfront

If you haven’t taken time to clarify what exactly you want the purchasing process to be like, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of new technology or swayed by the silver-tongued charm of a sales professional.

To help make sure you’re able to clearly and firmly articulate your preferences, and that the buying process goes as you’d like, think through your preferences on some key aspects and know where you’re willing to be flexible (or not).

• Are you already familiar with specific brands or models that interest you, or would you be open to considering and hearing about a variety of brands and models?
• Are you firm on buying a brand-new machine, or are you open to hearing about refurbished, reconditioned, certified pre-owned, demo models, or other used options that might meet your needs?
• Are you comfortable getting recommendations from a sales professional who may be incentivized to sell you a particular brand or model, or would you prefer the assistance of an objective third-party sales ally like GroupUps?

Think in dollars and cents

When making a purchase with a price tag in the tens of thousands, you want to spend a good amount of time getting clear on the numbers.  Here are some of the things you want to have clarity on as you enter into the buying process, and ideally beforehand:

• When calculating your budget, be sure that you’re factoring in all of the upfront costs as well as the long-term value.
• Explore financing options, if needed, to ease the immediate financial burden of the investment.
• Decide whether you will focus on the top-line costs or the monthly payment plan in your financial strategy.
• Establish a timeline for the purchase to align it with your practice's longer-term financial goals as well as patient needs.
• Consider connecting with sales allies like GroupUps, to ensure you’re getting the best possible price and maximize the cost-to-value ratio

Break out the blueprints: Installation and space requirements

Prepare for the installation of the new imaging equipment by considering the following space-related aspects:

• Assess the floor or wall space available in your practice to accommodate the equipment, and compare that with the footprint of the various brands and models you’re considering.
• You’ll want to consider your mounting preference (floor or wall) based on your practice's layout and workflow, so you only seriously consider compatible models. If you opt for wall-mounted, you’ll also want to ensure that appropriate backing is available in the wall to support the installation. The worst time to find out what’s behind the wall is when the CBCT is a few feet away, waiting to be installed.
• If you happen to have a practice on any floor other than the ground floor, you’ll want to check with building management to see about elevator dimensions and availability to make sure delivery will be possible and can be scheduled appropriately.

Think about support beyond installation

While it might seem like installation is the final step of the process, you’ll want to think beyond that too, because your choice of machine might be impacted by your support needs and any planned upgrades or expansions.

Here are three post-purchase considerations to keep in mind before you choose the machine you’ll add to your practice:

• Establish and express your preference for either local or remote support for troubleshooting and maintenance needs.
• See if the equipment will be scalable and upgradeable so you can adapt to future technological advancements.
• Confirm the details of the warranty, and how well it suits your practice style and needs

A CBCT or other imaging machine is one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make for your practice, and you’re smart to be seeking out resources to prepare yourself for the process.

Luckily, the GroupUps team regularly guides dentists through the buying process for CBCTs (and all kinds of other equipment too), and we’d be more than happy to help you find the imaging equipment that best serves your space, your budget, your needs, and your plans for your practice’s future.

GroupUps can help you determine the best imaging solution for your needs, and negotiate better pricing for you.

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