Shorter Dental Appointments
Digital X-rays can shorten your dental visit. With traditional dental X-rays, you'll have to wait while your dentist develops the film. With digital radiography, the sensor projects images onto a computer screen right before your eyes.
Transferring Dental Records
As dental offices are turning to electronic patient records, digital images can be e-mailed to a dental specialist for immediate review. Digital X-rays are taking away the expense and time needed to copy files and mail them to another office, making it faster to transfer records or get a second opinion.
Digital dental X-rays are better for the environment
No chemicals are used to upload images with digital radiography. There's no wasted space of a darkroom and no need to store film, which can add up in a dentist's files.
Higher Quality Images
Once images are on the screen, digital X-rays can be enlarged, brightness, contrast and color can also be adjusted, allowing your dentist to have a better visual of the tooth's structure. If you need a hard copy of your X-ray, digital images can also be printed out. The standard size of traditional X-rays can make viewing difficult.
Less Radiation
Digital radiography uses equipment which exposes dental patients to much less radiation. Digital X-rays use up to 90 percent less radiation than film X-rays. While traditional dental X-rays are relatively safe, digital X-rays are an excellent option for those who take X-rays regularly or for those who are concerned about radiation exposure.
Common Questions & Answers:
Q) Recently I had some dental x rays and the operator forgot to place the lead apron on me. Can this be a problem?
A) The use of a lead apron to protect patients undergoing dental radiographic examination was recommended some 50 years ago, when equipment was rudimentary. With the current technology, whether a lead apron is used or not. The lead apron is no longer regarded as essential although some consider it a prudent practice, especially for pregnant and potentially pregnant females.
Q) Is there residual radiation in an exam room after a dental X-ray has been taken?
A) Once the machine is switched off, X-rays stop. Much like the light from a light bulb when it is turned off. No residual radiation remains.
Q) How much has dental X-ray radiation been studied and how concerned should I be about having dental x rays done? Is there a limit on how many I can have?
A) Patient radiation doses from dental x rays are among the lowest radiation dose exams of any diagnostic radiologic procedure. Current practices deliver patient doses from a full-mouth series of intraoral images that are less than what a person receives in a month from natural environmental sources. Doses from bitewing or panoramic imaging are even less. New technology is reducing the doses still further.