The Many Advantages of Digital Dental X-Rays 

Previously, various painful and dark myths were associated with the dental industry. Thankfully, with advancements in the field, dentists are now able to perform dental treatments and surgeries seamlessly with little to no pain. Digital dental X-rays are one of the latest technologies that have become the standard for dental practices across the country. 

If you are considering visiting a dentist in Upland, CA, for dental treatment or surgery and are wondering if digital dental X-rays are really better than traditional methods, this blog may help you. It is important to know why this newer technology replaced the traditional method of getting X-rays and if the new technology has any disadvantages. This will help you form an educated opinion and make educated decisions. 

Advantages of digital dental X-rays 

• Less radiation exposure. 

As you would already know, radiation can be extremely dangerous to the human body. It is a slow killer. Film imaging, a traditional method of getting X-rays, exposes a person to 70% more radiation levels than digital imaging, the method that is being used currently. Moreover, digital X-rays do not require as many retakes as film imaging. Therefore, the time the patient is exposed to radiation is significantly reduced. 

• Faster processing time. 

The term traditional is enough to know that the old method took a longer processing time than the new one. Traditional X-rays required more time to process, mainly because you had to wait for the film to develop in the darkroom before you could view the images clearly. With digital dental X-rays, you do not have to wait at all. Your dentist can view the images instantly. Therefore, the productivity of both the dentist and the patient is improved. 

• Enhanced images.

These new methods produce enhanced, high-quality images on the computer as they are taken with digital sensors rather than traditional films. The pictures are available at a higher resolution and provide more accurate information. The dentist is able to examine the X-rays better and focus on the minute details. In addition to pictures of teeth, DDRs can also capture your gums and other oral structures. 

• Easier storage. 

Previously, you would have to wait for the images to develop in the darkroom, and they were only available in hard copy form. The images from every client’s X-ray needed to be stored at the dentist’s clinic, resulting in storage problems. Nowadays, you do not need to print out images in their physical form and can store them digitally on the computer. Therefore, they do not take up space and can be shared with you easily.