Digital X-Ray
Madison, AL
 Early detection of damage or disease in your teeth and gums is critical to maintaining and improving your dental hygiene.
Regular oral exams can sometimes miss issues because they are unable to look between teeth, under fillings, and under gums to look for potential or growing problems.
Digital radiography is an image-capturing technology our dentists use to thoroughly screen your teeth and gums to find, monitor, and prevent harm to your teeth and gums.
Singing River Dentistry can help reduce the risk of longer-term damage, decay, disease, or other problems by providing digital radiography in addition to your oral exam.
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The Importance of Digital Radiography
When used in conjunction with a regular oral exam, digital radiography can discover damage or even developing diseases in your teeth and gums that are extremely difficult to identify to the naked eye.
For adults, it is primarily used to detect and monitor damage or disease, track development from previous procedures, and look for tooth decay. For children, this is used mostly to monitor the growth of new teeth and the jawbone to create a dental plan for ensuring straight and healthy teeth and gums.
Regular oral exams are important to maintain oral hygiene, however digital radiography is a critical tool that doctors and dental offices like ours can use to prevent issues that may have longer-lasting damage. The images captured during the exam provide our dentists the information they need to make informed decisions on treatment or possible problem areas to look for in future visits.
How Does Digital Radiography Work?
Digital radiography is the higher-tech upgrade to the normal, traditional dental x-rays. Our dentist will place a flat sensor in your mouth. You will then gently bite down on that sensor to capture images of your teeth, gums, and jawbone.
This will be moved around to different areas of your mouth to get a full picture of your current dental state. Once captured, the images are transferred digitally to a computer software program. Here, our team then can adjust for lighting and enlarge specific areas of the mouth.
Are X-Rays Safe During Pregnancy?
Following some other considerations about getting x-rays during pregnancy.
Timing
Whenever possible, dental X-rays should be postponed until after pregnancy. If immediate dental treatment is necessary, it's crucial to consider the timing of the X-ray, aiming for the second trimester when fetal development is less susceptible to potential harm.
Use of Shielding
Dentists should employ lead aprons and thyroid collars to minimize radiation exposure to the abdomen and neck areas, where the developing fetus and thyroid gland are located.
Digital X-rays
Opt for digital X-rays, which we use at Singing River Dentistry. Digital x-rays emit lower levels of radiation compared to traditional film X-rays, reducing potential risks to the fetus.
Necessity of X-rays
Our dentists will evaluate whether an X-ray is truly essential for diagnosis or treatment planning. Alternative diagnostic methods or postponement of non-urgent procedures may be advisable during pregnancy.
Informed Consent
Pregnant women should fully understand the risks and benefits associated with both traditional and digital X-rays and provide informed consent before undergoing the procedure.
Communication
Open communication between the patient, dentist, and obstetrician is vital to ensure all concerns are addressed, and appropriate precautions are taken to safeguard maternal and fetal health.
You can also learn more here on our blog covering this topic.
Other Digital X-Ray FAQ's
How Long Does It Take?
Usually, each photo takes around one minute to capture. The number of images needed by our team is determined by any symptoms identified from the oral exam and any history of dental procedures. While x-rays use a film that takes a longer process to be develop, digital radiography captures an even higher quality image and immediately transfers those images to a computer software program. These images are immediately ready for our dentist to preview with you.
How Often Should I Get a Digital X Ray?
Even though digital radiography transmits a significantly lower quantity of radiation compared to traditional x-rays, our team operates under the ALARA principle, "As Low as Reasonably Achievable" when using technology with any amount of radiation.
So, we will take a few factors into consideration before deciding to proceed. Aside from pregnancy, some of these factors include any history of disease or prior dental work (such as fillings and crowns), age, and any symptoms of tooth decay that we notice during an oral exam.
Schedule Your Check Up and X-Rays in Madison, Al Today!
If you are concerned about your dental hygiene and want to take preventative measures against damage and disease to your teeth and gums, call Singing River Dentistry today at 256 - 562 - 4001. We are here to help!
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