Digital X-Rays
At Wahlers Family Dental, we are committed to our patients’ comfort and safety. To ensure both of these, we are proud to offer digital dental x-rays. This new form of x-ray reduces radiation exposure considerably, uses more comfortable sensors, speeds up the process, and increases quality of care.
Why Do I Need X-Rays?
When a dentist examines your teeth, only the exposed surfaces can clearly be examined. X-rays allow us to see between the teeth where many cavities start. They also allow us to see the interiors of your teeth, under older fillings or crowns. Additionally, with x-rays, we are able to monitor your bone levels, which is important in the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease.
By the time many common dental concerns are visible to the naked eye, the treatment required may be more complex. We prefer to catch developing problems at the earliest possible point. Typically a problem caught early on an x-ray requires less invasive and less expensive treatment than one that goes unnoticed and becomes larger.
Are X-Rays Safe?
Even traditional film-based dental x-rays are quite safe and expose you to very low levels of radiation. Digital x-rays take this even further and use up to 80 to 90% less radiation than film-based dental x-rays. Additionally, we still use precautions like lead aprons so that you receive the absolute lowest radiation exposure possible.
X-rays are one of our most valuable diagnostic techniques. By minimizing your radiation exposure, we keep you safe while we gain important information about your dental health. We can then customize a treatment plan and perform more conservative, comfortable treatment.
Additional Advantages of Digital X-Rays
In addition to the reduction of radiation exposure, digital x-rays have several other important benefits:
- The sensors we place in your mouth to get the image are much more comfortable than traditional film.
- The accuracy of digital x-rays is superb. Plus, because they are viewed on a computer monitor, we can enhance and zoom in on the image to get a better look at areas of concern and educate you about your dental health and proposed treatment.
- Digital x-rays "develop" instantly. No more waiting around for your images to develop.
- Because digital x-rays don’t require chemicals to develop or film for storage, they are better for the environment.
- Your x-rays are stored digitally in your secure electronic file. This allows them to be easily accessed for fast comparisons and tracking of any conditions. This also allows us to easily send them electronically to your insurance company or a specialist, when necessary.
Don’t Hesitate to Call with Questions
We are excited by the opportunities that digital x-rays present in diagnostics and patient comfort and safety. If you ever have any questions about x-rays, we encourage you to call our East Norriton dental office so that we can address your concerns and help put you at ease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dental X-rays (or radiographs) are one of the main tools dentists use to make a complete diagnosis. A visual examination by the dentist will reveal much information, but it often impossible to detect small cavities forming between teeth or under old fillings, without the aid of X-rays. Additionally, radiographs will allow the dentist to see the health of the underlying bone which can indicate the presence of gum disease, also known as periodontitis. Many other conditions can be found only by taking radiographs.
Radiographs are taken when a problem or issue is suspected, but also should be taken routinely even if everything looks and feels fine. Depending on a patient's risk factors and past dental health, a set of bitewing radiographs (2-4 small pictures) are recommended every 6 months to 3 years. Additionally, for most patients a full set of X-rays showing all teeth and oral areas are recommended every 3-5 years.
The medical field has slowly shifted from analog (film) to digital X-rays over the past 15 years or so, closely following improvements in digital imaging. Although there are a few dental offices that still take “films,” almost all modern offices are now fully digital. There are many benefits of digital X-rays over traditional film, but the two most important (in my opinion) are the improved quality of the images, and the decrease in radiation exposure to the patient. Because the newest digital sensors are so sensitive, a high-quality image can be obtained with a fraction of the radiation that was used years ago. All of the X-ray sensors in our office are new within the past few years, from top manufacturers.
Most research studies show that the amount of radiation from routine dental bitewings (4 standard check-up X-rays) is approximately equal to the amount of radiation that a passenger is exposed to during a typical two hour plane flight. And as a side note, I have never known anyone to restrict their travel plans in order to limit their radiation exposure! I am proud that we provide the safest and highest quality dental imaging possible to our patients. If you have any concerns about your radiation exposure, feel free to talk with me at your next appointment.
Meet Our Doctor:
Dr. Christopher Wahlers
Dr. Wahlers was born and raised in central New Jersey. He attended Gettysburg College for his undergraduate studies, where he majored in biology, graduating summa cum laude. During his undergraduate volunteer experiences in different medical settings, Christopher decided to pursue a career in dentistry.
During his time at New Jersey Dental School (Rutgers University), Christopher served as president of his class and graduated in 2003 as a member of the OKU National Dental Honor Society. He continued his education with an Advanced Dental Education residency program at Temple University.
Prior to Wahlers ...