Digital Radiography
Covington, WA
Digital Radiography provided by Kyle S. Blair, DDS
in Covington, WA at Covington Family Dental
At Covington Family Dental we are always updating our equipment with the latest technologies that we think will benefit our patients. Using tools such as digital radiography helps us detect, diagnose, monitor, and treat conditions that may not show up on traditional x-rays.
What is Digital Dental Radiography?
Digital dental radiography x-ray is a technology that uses sensors instead of the traditional film to take detailed pictures of your oral cavity and help us determine a treatment plan for any underlying conditions. The images of the teeth, gums, roots, and jaw bone allow us to see the status of your oral health in greater detail.
Types of Digital Radiography
There are two types of digital radiography. Intraoral are the most commonly used x-rays and are taken inside the mouth, such as bitewings in which the patient bites down on a plastic contraption that contains a sensor that takes the picture. Uses include detecting cavities or infections that require a root canal. Extraoral are generally captured using equipment that takes images from the outside.
Depending on what your situation is, we may use one or both types of x-rays to diagnose a condition and start a treatment plan. You could need a follow-up x-ray after the issue is treated to make sure everything is healing properly.
Advantages of Digital Dental Radiography
Instead of using film, digital radiography connects to a computer. Once we take the x-ray, the images get quickly uploaded to the computer for analysis. This will speed up your treatment.
There are several advantages to using this technology
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Reduced exposure to radiation as digital radiography uses as much as 90 percent less radiation than traditional film x-rays. The American Dental Association deems the exposure to radiation in dental x-rays is minimal.
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Faster. The digital radiograph will be ready for your dentist to view within minutes, making your appointment shorter and faster.
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Better images. The quality of the pictures taken by this type of technology is much better than that of film and gives our dentists a clearer picture of what is going on in your mouth.
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Dental records. This technology does not require reproducing the x-rays on film and can be quickly sent over email to a specialist if treatment requires it. |
Digital dental radiography is also environmentally friendly. We don’t use any chemicals to develop film, and they also reduce the amount of office space needed to store the film for each patient.
This technology can help our dentists see the changes on a specific tooth and determine how a treatment is working by comparing older to current images of that piece. In general, there are many advantages to using digital dental radiography. However, film is not yet obsolete and is still the preferred tool to detect things like cavities.
One of the most significant disadvantages of using digital radiography is that many insurance companies do not cover this expense and it can be costly to purchase for a small practice. However, there is no question this is one of the tools that more and more patients will use in the future.
Please call Covington Family Dental at 253.499.6155 today to schedule your dental exam. |
