In our experience, we have seen doctors take a wide variety of approaches to how they charge for the dental cone beam scans. Clearly there are a number of variables that would affect the pricing strategy including specialty and the intent of the scan. However, we will provide some thoughts from a few General Dentists, which are the more common dental professional that we work with.
One particular general dentist has set up their pricing strategy based on the FOV of the scan. Because the X-era offers a number of different fields of view, here is his approach:
- Small field of view scan (4” diam scan): $120-$150
- Medium field of view scan (8” diam scan): $200-$250
- Large field of view scan (16” diam scan): $300-$350
If the patient opts to move forward with an implant treatment, that scan may be offered complimentary.
We have also seen scenarios where the dental professional may identify some pathology via a traditional 2D modality like an intraoral periapical or a panoramic x-ray. The dental professional may deem that the cone beam scan will not only provide critical additional information to improve confidence in the diagnosis, but it will also allow for a more detailed treatment plan.
In these situations, we have heard from some doctors who may decide not to charge the patient for the scan. They may waive this fee in these scenarios because they feel the cone beam scan will help them:
- Communicate the diagnosis and treatment options in a more compelling way, thereby increasing the probability and speed of case acceptance
- Save time in performing a procedure because the scan gives them so much more information to plan the procedure, and virtually eliminates “surprises”
In these unique cases, they may decide that these alternative benefits are immediate enough to preclude the need to charge the patient.
While every dental professional must decide what right for their practice, these are a few approaches that may be helpful. We would love to hear your thoughts!