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Digital dental X-rays are much more detailed and effective in diagnosing tooth maladies than the standard film x-rays used in past, traditional general dentistry. This procedure is also known as radiography, and is a preferred method of examining patient tooth health here at the Medical Center Dental Group of Houston.
Digital dental X-rays are taken using a special radiography system. It first captures an image of your teeth, and then transmits it almost instantaneously to a full-color computer monitor. This allows you to see a live, close-up video feed of your own teeth while you sit in the dental chair. Your dentist will examine your mouth very carefully, pointing out findings as the process continues. There is no need to wait for images to develop, and everything can be done while you sit in the dental chair.
Digital dental X-rays look very similar to traditional X-ray images, but they are 400 percent larger. The radiography system is computer controlled, so the dentist can use a mouse to click on images of anything in your mouth and zoom in on it. A single tooth can be magnified, its image rotated and sharpened. It can even be colorized to make it look more natural to you, the patient, in order to give you a more clear understanding of what the dentist is looking at and provide you with a visual frame of reference as the dentist discusses any problems and recommended treatment options.
These advanced, color images can even be printed out and taken home for review if the dentist recommends several treatment options to which you want to give some time and thought.
To take digital dental X-rays, the dentist begins by placing a small, flat sensor in your mouth. This device is connected to the computer with a thin wire. The radiography system then sends an X-ray beam through your teeth into the sensor. The image of your teeth is recorded and then fed back to the computer. Because the sensor is mobile, it can be positioned anywhere along your upper or lower jaws to take fine-resolution images of your teeth.
Digital dental X-rays are superb time savers. Checkups take much less time because there is no time wasted in developing film. Another advantage offered by radiography systems is a much higher safety factor. Due to the ultra-sensitivity of the sensor, the digital system requires only 10 percent the X-rays as standard machines require. This means you are exposed to far less radiation, which is an added health benefit on top of the excellent general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry services you will receive at our office.
Large images and color enhancement are two other advantages to using radiography. Letting you see what the dentist sees can help you better understand your own condition and why certain treatments are recommended. Additionally, you do not have to pay for the costs of photography used in standard X-ray development. And, because everything is computerized, radiography generates absolutely no toxic biohazards or wastes.
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