Why Are Digital X-Rays Used and Why They're Not Harmful

You visit your dentist at six monthly intervals for exams and cleanings to keep your dental health in optimal shape. Before starting your exam, the dental hygienist takes x-rays of your mouth and teeth before escorting you to the dentist’s chair. The hygienist doesn’t reveal whether the x-rays are safe or harmful or whether you might be affected by radiation exposure.

Does the hygienist expose you to radiation deliberately? Are dental x-rays harmful? In reality, x-rays are indeed harmful to your health. The American College of radiology reveals that the radiation exposure of four bitewing x-rays exposes you to 0.005 millisieverts of radiation. The radiation is similar to the exposure you might soak from the sun during a regular day and other sources. In addition, panoramic dental x-rays, when the x-ray machine swivels around your head, expose you to twice the radiation, which is harmful. The radiation might seem insignificant, but it can pose severe health risks in the long run.

What If You Refuse X-Rays?

If you refuse x-rays, the dentist in Brooklyn, NY, finds it challenging to identify infections between your teeth and might not examine your mouth comprehensively. As a result, it might expose you to additional problems with dental infections in your mouth remaining undetected and aggravating into severe conditions needing emergency dental visits.

What Are Digital X-Rays?

Digital x-rays expose you to fewer than 90 percent of the radiation of conventional x-rays. Therefore, the new technology is the perfect option if you are concerned with the radiation you might be exposed to with traditional x-rays, although both varieties are safe.

Why Are Digital X-Rays Necessary?

Digital x-rays are necessary because, unlike traditional x-rays that fit the one size fits all theory, digital technology allows the dentist near me to capture images of your mouth that are comfortably magnified and enlarged. The feature helps dentists to view your teeth better. Additionally, the dentist can adjust the color of the x-rays to view cavities, et cetera, by contrasting colors. In addition, if you need copies of your x-rays, printing the digital images free of charge is not challenging.

Digital x-rays, besides providing better images, are also environmentally friendly because the captured images are transferred directly to a computer. It indicates the technology eliminates the need to use harsh chemicals to develop films or requires investments in a dark room for storage space for the films.

Finally, if you have a pediatric dentist for your kid, the professional will likely have the older conventional technology instead of the digital version. It indicates that your kid’s exposure to radiation will remain higher by exposing them to higher radiation levels. However, if you visit a professional with the latest technology capturing digital x-rays in Brooklyn, the professional has the means to capture images without the risks of radiation and also transfer images to other professionals if required for additional advice on the treatments your child needs.

Digital x-rays enable dentists to have all images from your visits earlier. In addition, they can store the pictures on a computer instead of filming them for storage in a cabinet. Therefore you don’t need physical evidence with older pictures of your mouth because the records are readily available with the dentist and accessible without confronting challenges.

Digital or conventional: What’s Your Choice

Conventional x-rays expose you to minimum harmful radiation levels you wouldn’t want. In addition, they require dental professionals to invest in environmentally toxic chemicals and film to capture images of your teeth and mouth. The time needed to process conventional x-rays is higher and requires space to store the images of your mouth. When combined, imaging technology seems outdated but is helpful for many purposes.

On the other hand, digital x-rays expose you to radiation less than 90 percent of the exposure to conventional x-rays. The technology is quick to process, and the images appear on the computer screen within minutes. Storage is convenient on a hard disk, and so is transferring images to you or other medical professionals for a second opinion if required. Additionally, the x-rays remain with the dentist eliminating the need to carry extensive documentation of your history every time you visit the dentist nearby for dental exams or other conditions. Under the circumstances, you will likely prefer digital x-rays over the conventional variety after considering its safety and the ease of having records available with your dentist instead of lugging them around.

New Leaf Dental — Brooklyn, NY, uses digital x-rays on patients to take images of their teeth and mouth whenever essential to prevent the patient’s exposure to radiation. If you are concerned about radiation from conventional x-rays visiting this practice for your dental needs eliminates the concern from your mind.