You probably know that regular dental appointments (twice a year) are beneficial for keeping your teeth clean and healthy. But did you know that visiting the dentist can save your life? Those check-ups not only check for developing issues with your teeth and gums, but the digital x-rays that your dentist takes are helpful in finding conditions that can otherwise remain undetected. Issues such as decay between the teeth, bone loss, issues below the gum line, and even cancerous tumors can show up in x-rays. Research has shown that problems around the gum line can affect the overall health of the body; because of that, oral conditions are useful for identifying larger issues within the body. First and foremost though, digital x-rays are a very helpful tool in the maintenance of oral health.
Digital x-rays have the advantage of decreasing radiation exposure by 80 to 90 percent. They also allow for greater inspection and care of your teeth.
Traditional x-rays must be developed on film, which takes time and resources. Digital x-rays, on the other hand, are captured using an electronic sensor and stored digitally on a computer. This means that the image is immediately available and can be viewed at different angles (which would have required multiple x-rays taken the traditional way) and magnified to view the teeth in greater detail.
Digital images are more accurate than traditional x-rays because special radiography helps to subtract out duplicate imagery. This means that what is viewed on the computer by you and your dentist is the closest representation possible to what is really going on in your mouth. This enables your dentist to create the most efficient treatment plan possible, that will reduce the duration and number of office visits you’ll have to make.