If you have ever visited a new dentist or gone to your current dentist’s office after being away for a while, one of the first things the dental technician probably did was take a set of X-rays of your teeth.
In medicine, X-rays are used to see the bones inside your body to look for fractures, deterioration, and other issues. In dentistry, however, X-rays are a fast, effective and unobtrusive way to see inside your mouth. They let the dental tech and the dentist identify problems such as cavities, infections, other issues in a non-invasive, more comfortable manner for the patient.
Safe and Effective –
When taking X-rays, the dental technician will usually put on a heavy lead apron and hide behind a thick wall before turning on the machine. This is solely a precautionary measure.
X-rays use just a tiny amount of radiation to project X-ray particles beam between the machine and the film inside the mouth. Very small amounts like this aren’t harmful to the patient. They actually aren’t harmful to the dental tech, either. It’s just that taking so many X-rays throughout the day, day after day, can add up. Thus, precautions are taken to protect both the patient and the technician.
Digital Information
You may have noticed that the results of the X-rays of your teeth don’t take as long as they used to take. That’s because most dental offices now use digital X-ray machines rather than the actual film. Digital X-rays can be read immediately on a computer screen, as compared to the older type of film that had to be developed.
Today, dentists, dental techs, and even patients can instantly see the condition of all the teeth so they can diagnose and treat any problems without waiting.
