Dental X-Rays Fast and Easy Way to Help You Pinpoint Countless Oral Diseases

Dental X-rays or radiographs are an important part of any dental care treatment plan.

These X-rays have been around as long as those infamous grinding drills we used to endure with tears streaming from our eyes. Dental X-rays are diagnostic as well as preventative. Dentists are able to diagnose potential dental problems before they become a major issue.

Dental X-rays were a wonderful breakthrough helping dentists to pinpoint countless cavities and provide the appropriate treatment.



How Dental X-Rays Fast and Easy to Pinpoint Countless Oral Diseases?

The images taken from dental X-rays provide you with valuable information about your patient teeth and gums and help you plan the best treatment for any problems. You can also use the information from an X-ray to identify infections, abscesses, even small cysts and tumors. X-rays can even help identify developmental abnormalities, such as impacted wisdom teeth.

The appearance of fillings and crowns on an X-ray depends on what they are made of. Some appear dark and some appear light. No matter what type of dental restoration or implant the patients have, you can use X-rays to help identify any areas that need attention or adjustment.

This means that patients can get faster and more effective dental care.

Dental X-rays Digital vs Traditional

Traditional Dental X-rays

Traditional dental radiography has been around since the 19th
century and it involves an X-ray machine and a film that received
the images.

The machine is included with an anode and cathode
tube and uses power to function. The main characteristic of this
machine is to send the captured image to the film through radiation.

However, the effectiveness of Traditional X-ray in the dental industry
has become a subject of debate over recent times.

 Traditional Dental X-rays

Benefits of Traditional Dental X-Rays

  • This is a standard form of capturing the image of your teeth and mouth, so it requires no extra training to operate the X-ray machine.
  • Images captured with an X-ray machine cannot be changed which could possibly avoid fraudulent or legal issues.
  • It offers high-quality photo images while most dentists are still using it to examine the dental problems of their patients effectively.
  • The film sensors used in X-ray machine are good resistants to heat sterilization


    Disadvantages of Traditional Dental X-Rays

  • Traditional X-rays used harsh plates(we called X-Ray Film) that cut into patient gums.
  • It takes so much time to process and develop a film because it needs separate equipment.
  • You will need a dark room equipped with a lighting and specific temperature which can lead to faulty results.
  • Because it involves several techniques before the process is completed, Traditional radiography can experience problems along the way, such as blunt or blurred images, dark lines, fog or spots.

    Digital Dental X-Rays

    Every dentist wants to provide effective and quality dental services
    to his or her patients and adopting a digital form of X-ray will be an
    excellent idea to start with. This method of taking images of the
    teeth, gums, and mouth involve computer-based techniques to take
    clear and accurate pictures directly without using a film.
    It uses a similar machine like the traditional dental X-ray to generate
    radiation, but the X-ray sensors connected to a computer capture the
    images instead of a film.

    Apart from following in the trend of modern technology, dentists are
    switching to this method because of some of the benefits outlined below.

    		 Digital Dental X-Rays

    Benefits of Digital Dental X-Rays

  • There is no need for the use of chemicals to process the images, unlike Traditional dental X-ray system.
  • It saves time because you can view the images instantly and know exactly where the problems are.
  • It is faster because there is no need to wait for the film to develop which is good for both the patient and the dentist to save valuable time in the dental lab.
  • By using image enhancement software, Images captured using digital technology comes out clear and sharp.
  • The accuracy is quite impressive and it is friendly to the environment.
  • It requires less radiation to produce high-quality images.
  • You will be able to have the archives of patients dental x-rays stored on a computer.
  • It produces bigger pictures which will permit you to detect all the dental problems.
  • Though digital X-ray is expensive to acquire compared with Traditional radiography, you’ll later find it to save a lot of money in the long run.
  • It allows the images to be transferred electronically to other persons such as a consultant or a referred dentist.


    Disadvantages of Digital Dental X-Rays

  • Depending on the type of system you want to purchase or a number of detectors to use, digital X-ray system might be expensive to acquire and maintained by some dentists.
  • You may need to go for training before you can effectively use digital radiography.
  • It is not a standardized form of dental X-ray.

    Dental X-Ray Aprons Are Necessary?

    Of course, the machines used for dental X-rays do involve radiation, but the amount of exposure is extremely small, which is why studies have shown that dental X-rays are safe for most people in most situations.

    Although the amount of radiation in dental X-rays is quite low and the procedure is safe, but pregnant women, children, and women of childbearing age should wear Dental X-Ray Aprons when getting dental X-rays.

    As a dentist, you will always be exposed to X-rays. The machines used for dental X-rays do involve radiation but the amount of exposure is extremely small. However, small doses over time can add up to cell damage which is why we recommend you should usage Dental X-Ray Aprons.

    Dental x-ray aprons protect patients and clinicians from exposure to radiation during routine dental x-ray imaging. These aprons are heavy because they are filled with lead or similar material capable of stopping radiation from passing through to reach the patient or clinician. The higher the lead equivalent, the better the protection effect. The lead equivalent usually has two types, it is 0.5mmpb and 0.35mmpb. Some x-ray aprons include a thyroid collar to protect the wearer's neck. These protective aprons should be durable and easy to clean. They often are available in a range of sizes, colors and even patterns. Be sure to have different sizes available in your practice to be ready for any patient.