X-Rays

• Digital X-ray:a new imaging method used in dentisry. A small sensor unit sends pictures to a computer to be recorded and saved.

  Advantages of digital radiography:

• immediate viewing of images: This is highly desirable during most procedures but especially during implant procedures, endodontic root canal therapy and post placement,
• crown and bridge restoration seating, and patient education.
• enhancement of images
• retake of images
• data storage
• patient education
• decreased radiation
• elimination of chemicals and dark rooms
• Panoramic X-rays show a broad view of the jaws, teeth, sinuses, nasal area, and temporomandibular (jaw) joints. These X-rays do not find cavities but do show problems such as impacted teeth, bone abnormalities, cysts, solid growths (tumors), infections, and fractures.
• Periapical X-rays show the entire tooth, from the exposed crown to the end of the root and the bones that support the tooth. These X-rays are used to find dental problems below the gum line or in the jaw, such as impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts, tumors, and bone changes linked to some diseases.
• Computed tomography, otherwise known as CT scanning, shows the body's interior structures as a three-dimensional image. This type of X-ray is used to identify problems in the bones of the face, such as tumors or fractures.