New Technology
Digital X-ray Comes to Brookline
digital film

* Up to 80% less radiation!
* Environmentally friendly!
* Immediate visualization!
* Enhanced diagnostic features!

Digital Radiography (X-rays)

The Doctors at the Center for Pediatric Dental Care have converted the routine dental x-rays to digital X-rays. Dental radiographs or x-rays are an important part of a complete dental exam. Two to four check-up x-rays called "bite-wings" are standard of care, and necessary every 12-18 months, depending on each individual child's needs. As pediatric dentists, Drs.Weiss, Krausz and Barton are very concerned about minimizing the amount of radiation a patient receives at the dental office. That’s why they used high-speed film, and cover all patients with a lead apron during x-ray procedures, and have converted to digital. You should know that 2 dental x-rays deliver 5,600 times less radiation to an unborn child than an upper GI series, 80 times less radiation than a chest x-ray, and 4 times less radiation than a normal day of background radiation playing in the sun. Dental x-rays are necessary and both safe and effective.

Digital imaging has been used by the medical community to make diagnostic information more accessible and more valuable. It is now available for dental offices. Digital Radiography, offers some positive advantages over typical film X-rays. The most remarkable is the reduction of radiation exposure, by as much as 80%, which makes dental X-ray taking safer and minimizes concerns about radiation exposure even more.

These dental x-rays are taken using electronic sensors that send the image directly to a computer. This image is displayed on a LCD monitor, can be enlarged, and can help the patient visualize and understand the doctor's treatment recommendations more easily. It also faciliates the doctor's diagnostic ability in "zooming in" and enlarging a specific area of the x-ray. The digital image only takes 10-15 seconds to appear on the monitor. A side benefit ia that digital X-ray is also environmentally friendly. The sensors used do not contain lead foil, like conventional dental film, that needs to be recycled or disposed of as hazardous waste. Also, there are no chemicals or water involved in generating an image, reducing pollution and water consumption.

Digital X-ray generates pictures that are diagnostically equivalent to film based images. Many image enhancement tools allow many viewing options. They allow zooming, brightness and contrast control, reversing, colorization, and other features that can be used to assist the dentist in diagnosing dental problems. The images also can be transmitted electronically for either insurance purposes or to another doctor involved in treatment.

Kids really enjoy being able to actually see their X-rays on the computer screen. It helps them to understand their condition better and gets them involved in treatment. By placing a large image of an x-ray on a monitor that the child can see, we can begin to include the child in the diagnosis. It is a great teaching tool. The assistant and hygienist also no longer have to go back and forth to the darkroom. This leaves more time to spend with the patient.

All our x-rays, including panoramic and cephalometric films for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, are state of the art digital units giving our patients the safest x-ray experience possible.

Taking the image

A small, flat sensor is placed in the patient's mouth next to the teeth. The sensor is connected to a computer by a thin wire. Next, an X-ray beam is sent through your teeth and into the sensor, which records the image of your teeth and sends it to the computer. The sensor can then be repositioned to photograph other sections of the mouth.

 

Panoramic Digital X-ray Machine

digital x-ray machine

At The Center for Pediatric Dental Care we us a digital combination panoramic (full mouth x-ray) and cephalometric (orthodontic X-ray) machine. The digital machine uses 70% less radiation than conventional X-ray machines.