Bring the file — then expect a real exam anyway

What to request from your US dentist (before you cross)

Ask the office for copies you can carry or upload:

1. Recent panoramic (date on the image).
2. Periapical films for teeth / sites in question.
3. Prior CBCT if one exists — full volume export, not only a screenshot.
4. Periodontal chart or recent exam notes if you have gum history.
5. Prior treatment plan / lab Rx (what was proposed, what was done).
6. Implant stickers / lot cards if hardware is already in your jaw.
7. Medication list and allergy list (print both).
8. Medical conditions that change surgery planning (bleeding risk, bisphosphonates, uncontrolled diabetes, etc.) — as your physician already documented.

If the office only emails a blurry photo of a lightbox, ask again for a proper export. Soft bag + USB still beats “it’s in the portal somewhere.”

How to deliver the file (USB / portal / email)

Agree the path with Olive before the appointment day:

• Encrypted email / secure portal if they named one in writing.
• USB labeled with your name and the export date.
• Cloud link that still opens offline-downloaded on your phone at the border.
• Paper printouts of the med list and allergy list even if images are digital.

Confirm file formats they can open (DICOM for CBCT when possible). Do not assume a JPEG of a panoramic is the same as a diagnostic export.

Olive may still take CBCT on site

Records help the consult start smarter. They do not lock the surgeon into someone else’s old plan.

Ask early:

• Will you review my US films on screen with me today?
• Do you still need CBCT here before implants — see CBCT before implants?
• If my US CBCT is older than you accept, what is the cutoff?
• Can I leave with a copy of any new scan you take?

“We might not need new imaging” is a clinical call after review — not a slogan you extract from a blog.

Put brand and warranty asks on the same paper

When records show prior implants or a proposed All-on-4:

• Require implant / ceramic brand and line on the new written plan (brand on the paper).
• Require lab path + warranty fields before a deposit (warranty / lab questions).
• Do not let “we’ll match what you already have” stay verbal.
• Bring lot stickers so the new plan can say compatible vs replace.

Chair questions that still belong in your pocket: questions to ask.

Privacy tone (checklist, not a lawyer letter)

• Share minimum necessary clinical files for the consult you booked.
• Prefer clinic-named secure channels over public social apps for full DICOM sets.
• Keep your own copies; do not surrender the only USB.
• Ask who stores the files and for how long — get the answer in plain language.
• We are not your HIPAA counsel. If you need a formal authorization form for a US office to release records, use their form.

Printable records pack

• Panoramic (dated): packed
• PAs for problem sites: packed
• Prior CBCT export (if any): packed
• Med list + allergy list: packed
• Prior plan / lab Rx / implant stickers: packed
• Delivery method Olive confirmed: ________
• New on-site CBCT expected? ask / yes / no: ________
• Brand + warranty lines on today’s plan: required before deposit

What we will not claim here

• No claim that Olive never needs new imaging.
• No invented warranty years.
• No fee tables.
• No “send everything to a random WhatsApp and you are covered.”

Clinic we name

Olive Dental Solutions — Blvd. Agua Caliente 4558-Interior C1-32B, Zona Urbana Río Tijuana, 22020 Tijuana, B.C. · +1 (928) 264-6204 · https://olivedentalsolutions.com/

Call: +1 (928) 264-6204 · Get a quote

Also: CBCT · Brand on the paper · Warranty / lab · Written plan · Questions to ask · Compare

CTA: send or carry dated records before surgery day — then still get the exam + plan on paper.