Digital X-Rays

Radiography has been one of the seminal advances in medical technology, making possible so many of the advances we take for granted. Because x-rays move at differing rates through body tissues, early x-rays produce a black-and-white image on a piece of film. This ability to see inside bodies has become crucial to detecting illness and evaluating its severity.

However, traditional x-rays have numerous drawbacks; they are slowly developed on fragile film, producing often rudimentary images, and patients are inevitably exposed to radiation. Flash forward to the present, and digital x-ray technology has improved radiography.

3 Reasons Digital X-Rays Work Better

The principles that make digital x-rays work are the same as early versions but eliminate the disadvantages.

• Speed – Digital x-rays are filmless, which means no waiting for an image that might be to be redone. Instead, images are transmitted directly to a computer so we can review them almost immediately.
• Quality – Just as technology has turned your phone into a professional-quality digital camera, the image resolution with digital x-rays is much higher, creating sharp images that we also may enhance with software to reveal hidden details.
• Safety – Though digital radiography uses x-ray radiation, the amount necessary to produce images has been reduced by between 80 and 90 percent. Additionally, filmless x-rays eliminate the development of chemicals and sheets of film that may contain toxic silver levels.

At Advanced Dentistry of Spring, we’ve added upgraded digital sensors to our radiography options. These are small discs that fit comfortably in your mouth. Our Schick 33 sensors deliver excellent imagery to a connected computer in real-time. This allows us to share images via chairside displays, helping diagnose problems quickly and accurately while simultaneously allowing us to discuss treatment options.