What are Digital X-Rays?
A digital dental X-ray gives the professionals at Wetherill Family Dentistry a more complete view of your oral health than a regular exam does. This technology, also called digital radiography, furnishes a detailed picture of the teeth, bones, and soft tissues surrounding your teeth and jawbones. Consequently, Dr. Wetherill can identify and address developmental problems, damage, or disease before they escalate.
Benefits of Digital X-Rays
Immediate Access
Digital X-rays produce images readily displayed on a screen. This saves time over waiting for conventional X-rays to develop. Your dental professional can also enhance digital X-rays to optimize their usefulness in diagnosing and treatment planning.
Environmentally Friendly Storage
Digitized dental X-ray images are easily scanned for electronic storage and transmittal. In addition, they’re much easier to retrieve and share than conventional X-rays. Further, digitization does not require the use of hazardous chemicals, and it also reduces physical storage space.
Lower Radiation
Research suggests that digital X-ray equipment produces up to 70% less radiation than traditional X-ray equipment. This means that you may incur significantly lower risks of side effects from long-term X-ray exposure.
Methods of Digitizing Dental X-Rays
Wetherill Family Dentistry uses the direct method of digitizing and scanning your images.
With the direct method, dental assistants place an electronic sensor in the mouth to record images. These images are available immediately for Dr. Wetherill’s evaluation.
Types of Digital Dental X-Rays
The dental professionals at Wetherill Family Dentistry take intraoral digital images inside the mouth or extraoral images outside the mouth. Intraoral X-rays are the most common type. Their sharp detail makes them ideal for detecting cavities, checking developing teeth, and assessing teeth and bone health. Extraoral X-rays pinpoint impacted teeth, observe jaw development and check for potential issues between teeth, jaws, and other facial bones.
Intraoral X-rays
- Bitewing X-rays: used to find decay between teeth, and to detect bone density changes caused by gum disease. Also used to determine fits for same-day crowns.
- Periapical X-rays: used to explore root structure and surrounding bone structure. Aids in diagnosing advanced gum disease and abscesses.
Extraoral X-rays
- Panoramic X-rays: used in detecting impacted wisdom teeth, diagnosing bony tumors, and planning treatment for dental implants.
Digital X-rays are an important part of your dental treatment plan. To limit your exposure to radiation, Dr. Wetherill and his team will take only as many X-rays as necessary for a thorough examination. Feel free to ask our dental professionals here at Wetherill Family Dentistry about the frequency or types of digital X-rays they use or recommend. Schedule a dental exam today and let our team help keep your smile healthy and bright.
