Digital vs. Conventional Radiography in the Dental Office

Digital vs. Conventional Radiography in the Dental Office

December 17, 2022 fakt_md_aDmEeN

There have been lots of advances when it comes to dental care. Some advances involve x-ray films to check dental problems that the bare eyes cannot identify. Just as other forms of dentistry have advanced, so has conventional radiography. Before technological advancement, radiation was passed through the teeth and oral cavities to create dental x-ray images. These images have been essential in saving many people’s teeth and overall health.

Thanks to the advancement in dentistry, there has been a rise in digital radiography. Digital radiography uses less radiation than conventional one. We will take you through more advantages of digital radiography and why you should look for dental radiography in Manhattan, NYC.

What is Digital Dental Radiography?

When you have a dental issue, you visit the midtown dentist in NYC so that they can treat your issue. However, there are problems that the dentist cannot treat without carrying out a dental exam. Therefore, the dental exam will be essential in determining the depth of your dental issue. One component of a dental exam is taking pictures of your tooth through a digital radiography machine.

A digital radiography machine can take the oral structures and other soft tissues of your teeth and gums. With these pictures, the dentist will be able to know the extent of the damage and the current condition of your teeth.

Digital dental radiography can be taken inside your mouth or outside. For intraoral dental radiography (inside), which is the most common, the dental x-ray dentist in Midtown NYC will tell you to bite down on a film that shows the detail of your lower and upper teeth in one area. This kind of intraoral x-ray is known as the bitewing. Bitewing x-rays check the extent of tooth decay and the changes your bones have undergone due to dental problems like periodontal disease.

For extraoral x-ray that happens outside your mouth, the dentist uses a machine that rotates around your head to display your entire mouth. This is a panoramic x-ray to detect problems with your jaw, wisdom teeth, and dental implants.

What Are the Pros of Digital Radiography?

Compared to conventional radiography, digital dental radiography takes less time as the images are processed and sent to the computer in a few minutes. This means that if you are looking for a dentist who performs dental radiography in Manhattan, NYC, be sure to look for one who has a digital radiography machine to ensure your dental exam takes less time.

Another advantage of digital radiography is that it uses less radiation than conventional radiography. Although this is the case, the pictures generated from a digital radiography machine are of better quality.

Moreover, the dentist will be to identify small hidden decay areas below dental fillings or between teeth with ease. Thanks to the fact that the images received from digital radiography are clear and so the dentist can identify abnormalities in your oral cavity.

Advancement in technology means that with digital radiography, dentists can store your oral images through a digital micro-storage system that requires only tiny space-efficient drives.

What Is Conventional Radiography and Its Pros?

Conventional radiography involves using an x-ray machine to take images of your teeth and gums through an x-ray film. This is the most common form of dental radiography.

It is essential to know that not all dental clinics can afford to purchase expensive machines to perform digital radiography. Therefore, it makes sense not to upgrade the device, which saves the cost of purchasing digital radiography equipment.

Another advantage of conventional radiography is that the film x-ray photos cannot be altered. But on the other hand, digital x-ray films can be edited, creating a loophole for illegalities.

Since conventional radiography has been used for some time, no extra training is needed to use the machines. Contrastingly, it can be pretty challenging for dentists to use digital radiography machines without prior training.

So, dental radiography has helped in detecting dental issues earlier, and this has saved many patients. Therefore, if you have any dental issues, you can visit FaktorDMD Cosmetic Dentistry & Implants – NYC, and the dentist will help treat your dental problem and restore your oral health.

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