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Digital Radiography
To keep up with the most recent technology, we offer digital radiographs (x-rays). We want our patients to be as safe and as healthy as possible. With the advances of digital x-rays, the radiation from a full set of x-rays is equivalent to about 2 days of just living on Earth. Your standard 4 check-up x-rays are equivalent to being outside for about 6 hours.
Dental X-rays are used to pinpoint areas of tooth decay or bone loss, and they are an important aid during root canal procedures. For years, an X-ray at the dentist’s office went pretty much the same way: The dentist or an assistant would put a piece of film in a plastic holder in your mouth, tell you not to move, and disappear. You’d hear a quick clicking sound. Then you would wait for someone to return with tiny films that could be displayed on a light box or board.
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Those days are fading. Digital technology has spread to the dentist’s office, with a number of advantages. For digital X-rays, an electronic sensor is placed inside the mouth instead of film. Digital processing is a little faster than traditional film X-rays, so there’s less exposure to radiation. But even traditional dental X-rays expose patients to only extremely low levels of radiation, so any risk for potentially harmful effects is minimal.
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Getting the Big Picture—Fast
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There is no need for a darkroom, chemicals, or developing time. Instead of viewing small film images on a light box, large-format digital images are viewed on a computer screen.
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These bigger, clearer images make it easy for dentists to show patients their X-ray in order to explain a diagnosis and illustrate the discussion about treatment. Problem areas can be magnified. Brightness and contrast can be adjusted so that even tiny amounts of decay are visible.
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Safer Storage and Streamlined Image Sharing
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Because only one original exists, film records are at risk for being destroyed or lost. Digital images can be stored at your dentist’s office and copied to a backup storage system off site in case of a fire or flood.
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Digital radiographs can be easily copied, printed, or e-mailed to other dental professionals for consultation. Comparing new images with those from previous visits is easier, too.
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Just as digital camera technology revolutionized photography for both amateurs and the pros, digital radiography is bringing state-of-the-art imaging systems to dental practices everywhere.