What are the Uses of Digital Dental X-rays?
Digital x-rays provide a much better image quality than conventional film, which is why most dentists have chosen to include digital dental x rays as part of their diagnostic tools in the office. Below is a detailed list of the uses of digital dental x rays:
- Diagnosing Teeth Cavities – While some teeth cavities, also known as caries, are visible during a clinical exam, most caries lesions develop inside deeper areas of the enamel or in between the teeth which are not visible to the naked eye. In these cases, digital dental x rays are very useful for diagnosing teeth cavities. Tooth decay appear as shadows or dark areas inside the tooth on x-rays, which implies a loss of tooth structure due to loss of minerals from the decay.
- Visualize the Status of Developing Teeth – Digital x-ray images provide the dentist a clear view of the status of the eruption of the permanent teeth. They also provide information regarding which teeth have become impacted and are unable to erupt into normal occlusion. These are useful information to properly refer patients out to orthodontics to correct malocclusion at an early stage.