Digital X-ray | Steven Chang | Dentist | Monterey, CaliforniaRadiographs, or X-rays, are used in every dental office. They are a great way to see the teeth and bones, and they make sure they are healthy. In the past, X-rays were taken using little pieces of covered film. They were placed in the mouth and exposed using an X-ray machine. They always jabbed inside the mouth and seemed to take forever to be processed. Well, those days are now behind us! In the new era of dentistry, dentists are using digital radiography. The same X-ray machine is used to expose the film but now the film is a sensor that is connected to a computer. When a section of the mouth is taken in the digital X-ray, it gets sent to the computer and can be seen right away. The best thing about digital radiography is that the image is high resolution. This means that a dentist can zoom in on a problem area or enhance the image in ways that will help them detect any problems or issues. This offers great flexibility for the dentist and greater care for you. No more waiting for the film to develop, and no more jabbing!

Because the images are saved in electronic format, the dentist can easily send your X-rays to a specialist that you may be seeing for a specific problem. This means that your X-rays won’t be lost or damaged while en route to a specialist. Having the X-rays saved in an electronic format also means they will never fade or get lost like actual pieces of film. Best of all, digital X-rays are good for the planet and the human body, as they emit one-tenth the radiation of traditional film X-rays.