Free CBCT Buying Guide for Dental Practices (2026 Edition)

What Your CBCT Dealer Won't Tell You

Written by a 12-year dealer. Ten chapters and two printable checklists — the briefing you should receive before any sales conversation starts.

No spam. One email with the guide, plus a note when your state guidebook releases.

What's inside

Ten chapters and two printable checklists. Written by a dealer. For the buyer.

  1. The Name on the Box: Brand vs. Corporate Reality
  2. The Fine Print: Warranty, Support, and What They Don't Advertise
  3. The Machine: Model Selection and What the Spec Sheet Doesn't Tell You
  4. The Software: What the Demo Doesn't Show You
  5. The Price Tag: Everything Beyond the Purchase Order
  6. The Money: Financing, Rates, and What the Fine Print Costs You
  7. Your Old Unit: The Cold Reality
  8. The Room: Why the Machine Fitting Isn't the Hard Part
  9. Installation Reality: Freight, Delays, and Day-Of Surprises
  10. The Long Game: Post-Installation Compliance

Appendix A: Pre-Purchase ChecklistPrintable · PDF

Appendix B: Installation ChecklistPrintable · PDF

The five decisions that matter most

The executive briefing — if you read nothing else before the sales conversations start.

1. Know who's behind the brand name

The brand name on a CBCT unit tells you what the machine is called. It doesn't always tell you who owns the company today, how many times ownership has changed, or what those changes mean for warranty support, parts availability, and product development over the next decade. Before comparing image quality, software, or financing offers — know who is actually behind the logo.

2. Model selection — see through the spec sheet

FOV, voxel size, low-dose modes, and stitched acquisition are terms you'll encounter in every CBCT sales conversation. Each one has a marketing version and a clinical reality.

3. The software — what the demo doesn't show you

Software demos are impressive by design. But do you know which questions to ask before signing? GPU requirements and costs on non-acquisition workstations, license models that limit concurrent users, proprietary vs. third-party support paths, and subscription terms that weren't on the original quote. The demo is one hour. The software affects your workflow every day.

4. Calculate total ownership cost

The purchase order is not the total investment. Physicists. Electrical work. Registration. Compliance. Networking. Disposal. Potential workstation upgrades. The practices that are happiest with their purchase are usually the ones that budgeted for the complete picture.

5. Build your compliance plan before installation

Compliance is easiest before the machine arrives. The QA program. The physicist relationship. Registration requirements. Documentation systems. Training records. Establish them early and they become routine. Ignore them and they become emergencies. The categories are universal; the exact forms, timelines, and filing sequences are set by your state — which is what the companion state guidebooks exist for.

A CBCT purchase is usually a good decision. A well-researched CBCT purchase is a significantly better one.