Digital Radiography (X-ray) Fort Wayne INDigital radiography is a common part of dental care. This is similar to an x-ray, though it does have several benefits that make it the better choice. This procedure is typically done as part of a routine dental exam, unless there are other concerns that require one sooner. Digital radiography is essential to maintaining your dental health. The team at Summit Dental Group can examine your teeth and mouth, but they will not be able to see any underlying issues without radiographs. The Importance of Digital RadiographyRoutine dental care includes our professionals examining your teeth and mouth, but they can only see so much. Digital radiography is helpful in identifying issues underneath the gums and within your teeth and bones. Some of these issues could include an injury, maldevelopment, infection, and other concerning health conditions. It is important to catch these issues early so they do not develop into more serious complications. These underlying issues could also cause infection that leads to heart disease and other physiological health conditions as well. Digital radiography is a safer alternative to the classic dental x-ray. With digital radiography, we are able to get a clear image of the hard and soft tissues in your mouth. It is able to capture these images with up to 90% less radiation than x-rays. This also provides higher quality images and is a much quicker process than x-rays. It is environmentally friendly compared to x-rays as well, since no chemicals are needed to develop the image. In addition, digital radiography allows your dentist to examine and manipulate the images on computer software, whereas x-rays cannot be changed once exposed. ProcessDigital radiography is done in a very similar way to that of x-rays. Our professionals will first insert a small sensor into your mouth. They will then use the same machine used to x-ray your mouth to capture the radiographic image. However, the image taken with this type of radiography is converted from analog to digital. This means that it is displayed on a computer using shaded pixels. This is a very quick process as it only takes a few seconds to capture the image. ExaminationOnce the image is processed, your dentist will then examine the images to ensure that there are no concerns with your teeth, bone structure, or other parts of your mouth. They can use radiography software to adjust the images in order to examine them in more detail. This lets them see very small injuries or disease symptoms that may otherwise go unnoticed with x-rays. At this time, this software can also be used to compare your current image to a previous radiographic image to determine if there have been any changes. This is also useful in monitoring dental development for children. Our dental professionals will consult with you following the examination and be able to explain the results. They will explain any new or recurring issues to you, as well as potential treatment options. If you have any questions about digital radiography or are interested in receiving this service, you can contact Summit Dental Group today. |