Many years ago, dentists didn’t have the means to examine dental issues beneath the gum line. They could only guess what was happening by looking at the superficial changes in the patient’s teeth and gums. Luckily, the field of dentistry changed when x-rays were discovered in 1895. Dentists could now examine dental issues comprehensively beyond what the naked eye could see.
Like most fields, technology in dentistry is constantly changing. Traditional x-rays are now being replaced with digital x-rays: they require 90% less radiation, are faster and more comfortable in evaluating oral health issues. At Huntington Dental Excellence, we are always ready to jump in new technology as long as it is safe, comfortable, and speeds up results. In light of this, we have incorporated digital-x-rays in our dental services to improve the patient’s experience in South Pasadena, California.
How dental x-rays used to be in the past
To understand digital x-rays, let’s walk down memory lane to understand how dental x-rays were done in the past. Years back, x-rays had to be taken in a dark room. After taking the x-rays, you would avoid exposing the image to light. Next, the images would be processed in a dark room with chemicals.
As you can imagine, traditional x-rays were time-consuming, cumbersome, and weren’t eco-friendly because of the toxic chemicals used to process the film. Also, traditional x-rays images were tiny, making it difficult to have a complete view of the patient’s oral health.
How digital x-rays have made dental procedures easier
If you have had x-rays taken in the recent past, it mainly involved biting a plastic paper, and then multiple images of your mouth were taken. That is just one type of digital x-rays. There are also panoramic dental x-rays where your entire mouth is captured using a single image.
Regardless of the type of digital x-ray used, here is how this technology has revolutionized dentistry:
- Less radiation – digital x-rays emit 90% less radiation compared to traditional x-rays
- Eco-friendly – digital x-rays don’t use harmful chemicals.
- More space – digital x-ray images can be stored in a computer. This flexibility results in less paperwork that fills up patients’ files.
- Faster – results are immediate, meaning shorter appointment times.
- Better image quality – the image is bigger, sharper, can be viewed in 3D, and so on.
