Refer to Us for CBCT and OPG Imaging for Your Patients
City Dental Care has an in-house Rayscan Alpha 3D cone-beam CT scanner and an OPG (panoramic X-ray) unit on Earl Grey Street, in the centre of Edinburgh. Any dental practice or clinician can refer a patient to us for imaging alone — we take the images you ask for and send them back to you within 48 hours, with your patient discharged straight back to your care. Our own patients are scanned the same visit their dentist decides one is needed.
Published imaging fees
Referred CBCT · imaging only
£100 single or dual arch, same price
OPG / panoramic X-ray
£50 per image
CBCT for our own patients
£149 includes treatment planning
Referred scans are imaging only — interpretation stays with the referring clinician. For our own patients the £149 fee includes the planning that follows the scan.
For Referring Dentists — How It Works
- Imaging only. We take the images you request and nothing else — no examination, no treatment plan, no opinion offered to your patient. They remain entirely under your care and are discharged straight back to you.
- Back within 48 hours. Images are sent to you within 48 hours of the appointment, in a format ready for your own software.
- No reporting. Interpretation stays with you as the referring clinician. If you need a formal radiology report, that's arranged separately.
- Justification. Please include the area of interest and the clinical reason on the referral so the exposure is justified before your patient arrives.
- Payment, kept simple. In full before the appointment, or a 20% deposit beforehand (online link or phone) with the balance on the day — arranged with the patient, or with your practice if you'd prefer to cover it.
- Prompt slots. Minimal waiting, evening appointments until 8pm Monday to Thursday, a short walk from Haymarket Station with parking in the building.
What Each Scan Is For
CBCT — 3D cone-beam CT
A three-dimensional scan of the teeth, jaws and sinuses that can be viewed in slices from any angle. It's the standard for implant planning — measuring bone depth and locating nerves before surgery — and it's often used before complex extractions and wisdom-tooth removal, in root canal treatment to map canal anatomy, and to investigate pathology.
OPG — panoramic X-ray
A single flat image of the whole mouth in one sweep: every tooth, both jaws, the jaw joints and the sinuses. Quick and low-dose, it's the usual first look for wisdom teeth, a general overview of teeth that haven't come through, orthodontic assessment, and checking for problems that small X-rays can't show in one frame.
For Patients — What to Expect
Both scans are painless and quick. For an OPG you stand at the machine and bite gently on a small rest while it rotates around your head. For a CBCT you sit or stand still for the scan itself, which takes a matter of seconds. You'll be asked to remove glasses, earrings and anything metal around the head and neck, and to tell us if you are or might be pregnant.
A CBCT uses more radiation than a small dental X-ray and considerably less than a hospital CT scan. That's why every scan needs a clinical reason from a dentist — we don't scan on request without one, and we only use the smallest field of view that answers the question.
If you've been told you need a scan, your own dentist can refer you to us using the form above, and the images go straight back to them. If you're a City Dental Care patient, your dentist arranges it as part of your care — often the same visit.
Why In-House Imaging Matters
For our own patients it means implants, surgical extractions and root canals are planned and treated under one roof, without a separate trip elsewhere for a scan. For referring colleagues it means a fast, predictable route for the scan they need, at a published price — and a patient who comes back to them. Read more about which scan suits which situation in our guide, CBCT vs OPG: which dental X-ray do you need?
