Advanced pet dental care in Hong Kong with CBCT technology
APEX, a veterinary dentistry clinic in Hong Kong, recently added Planmed Verity® VET cone beam CT (CBCT) scanner to their imaging options. We spoke with Dr. Tam, the clinic head and a pioneer in pet dentistry, about his experiences with the new technology.
APEX Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery in Hong Kong provides comprehensive services in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery for pets, with main emphasis on cats and dogs. Keen on ensuring his clinic has state-of-the-art equipment, Dr. Jonathan Tam has spent quite some time looking into different options. His search has led him to Planmeca and Planmed – the clinic currently has two Planmeca dental units and an X-ray unit in place, and a recent addition to the array is Planmed Verity® VET CBCT scanner.
How Planmed Verity® VET has made a difference
One main benefit of Planmed Verity VET so far has been its ease of use. “We find it really easy to adjust it to the height so that we can shuffle the animal in,” Dr. Tam notes. The whole team has been pleased with how easy it was to learn to use the scanner, with no extensive training required.
The image quality of Planmed Verity VET has been another key point of satisfaction for Dr. Tam: “I think it’s very diagnostic, very acceptable.” Dr. Tam remarks that they also appreciate the 3D rendering: “It’s brilliant. 3D rendering is a useful visualization tool when explaining the specifics of a case to a client.”
Dr. Tam mentions that they see a lot of brachycephalic dogs like French Bulldogs and Pugs, with complex mouth issues. For these dogs, the overall status typically needs to be assessed with an X-ray under general anesthesia, possibly followed by immediate surgery. CBCT, on the other hand, can often be performed using only light sedation. Dr. Tam estimates that light sedation is adequate for CBCT in perhaps more than half of the cases.
New perspectives for challenging cases
According to Dr. Tam, they get plenty of referrals from other clinics that do not specialize in dentistry. With the new and improved facilities, the number of more complex cases is also increasing. For these cases, CBCT shows more details of the anatomy than a standard X-ray. Dr. Tam highlights that they still use X-ray but, in some situations, CBCT has an advantage.
He mentions a recent case involving a French Bulldog with a fractured canine tooth that came in for root canal treatment. They performed a CBCT scan which showed that there were three or four other teeth that needed root canal treatment as well. “We also did X-ray on one tooth, which didn't show anything, but with the CBCT we already saw some early signs off periapical lesions. So, I think with CBCT I can see a lot more than with a conventional X-ray.”
Another case involved a young Border Collie presenting with significant swelling in the mouth. CBCT revealed that this was caused by a large cyst. According to Dr. Tam, the cyst could have been seen with a standard X-ray, but with CBCT, it was possible to see it in a three-dimensional view and determine whether the neighboring teeth were affected as well.
Reasons for choosing Planmed Verity® VET
In his earlier career, Dr. Tam had become familiar with high-quality imaging devices and dental equipment developed for human practices. For his new clinic, he sought veterinary alternatives that would not only be good for the animals but also for staff ergonomics and ideal in terms of surgery. When deciding upon CBCT, several factors tipped the scale in favor of Planmed Verity VET.
In addition to diagnostic quality, one of the biggest reasons was its intuitiveness: “It is very easy to use, super-intuitive and also very compact to use.”
“Everything is just quite simple for everyone here. Our whole team is very happy with how easy the machine is, if not easier than some X-ray machines, to be honest.”
Dr. Tam notes that the clinics in Hong Kong are small so a CBCT system needs to be compact to fit in. As Planmed Verity VET is mobile, it is easy to move around. Dr. Tam also commends the rotation manner of the device: “Some CBCTs will have their whole gantry rotating around, which can be quite dangerous if you have a patient on a table. That's what I don't really want to have.”
Another decisive factor was the availability of software support, which the clinic team finds to be both fast and effective. Dr. Tam states that when it comes to animals, it is also essential to have a software that works very well, highlighting the stitching feature in Planmeca Romexis® veterinary imaging software as an example.
Matching the expectations of dedicated clients and future aspirations
Dr. Tam sees significant potential in developing veterinary dentistry in Hong Kong. According to him, the owners are generally very committed to taking good care of their pets. They try their hardest to get the best possible treatment for their beloved companions and have high expectations.
However, many veterinarians in Hong Kong do not like doing dentistry. Dr. Tam cites lack of training as one of the probable reasons – only very limited dental training is provided as part of veterinary training. This does not apply merely to Hong Kong but is a global challenge.
Even though not all veterinarians enjoy dentistry, the expertise and investment in high-quality equipment at the APEX clinic have not gone unnoticed – they receive job applications from other veterinary dentists who wish to work with them because of their advanced resources. “It's like a dentist’s paradise they said,” Dr. Tam laughs.
Dr. Tam also sees promise in opportunities for future research focusing on CBCT. He acknowledges the significant need in the industry for this type of research, as there are numerous areas to be explored and ample opportunity to achieve higher standards.
Dr. Jonathan Tam
Dr. Tam, Head of APEX Clinic, is a veterinarian with a strong interest in veterinary dentistry. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he pursued his veterinary degree in New Zealand, originally aspiring to specialize in wild animals. Over time, his focus shifted toward dentistry, and he has since received specialized training in the field. Dr. Tam is a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists for dentistry and oral surgery. He started his original practice three years ago and has been focusing almost exclusively on veterinary dentistry ever since.
APEX Clinic
APEX Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery, located in Hong Kong, provides comprehensive dental and oral surgical services primarily for cats and dogs. The clinic is also exploring the possibility of expanding its services to include care for rabbits and rodents. With its focus on veterinary dentistry and the integration of advanced CBCT technology, APEX has been receiving an increasing number of referrals from other veterinary clinics for complex dental and oral cases.
Text: Katja Kurki
Photos: Dr. Jonathan Tam
