Benefits of Dental X-Rays

When you go to the dentist in North Vancouver, you usually expect to get x-rays taken of your teeth. It’s not a particularly comfortable procedure, but it seems to be better now than it was when you were a kid!

Do you remember having to take and retake the images several times because they didn’t turn out right? Not to mention the different angles they had to use to see all the teeth, or the time you had to wait while the films were being processed?

Since the 80s and 90s, dental imaging has changed for the better, keeping up with other advances in technology. At Pier Dental Centre, we think this is a good thing for these four reasons:

Smaller Dose of Radiation

Every time you had to retake an x-ray, you were exposed to more radiation. Combined with the other two or three angles the dentist would use, your face and neck were getting five or six exposures per appointment. Dental imaging techniques reduce the amount of radiation by as much as 75-90%, making it less than what you’re exposed to when you’re out on the (sunny) beach or taking a ride in a transcontinental flight.

The reduced exposure means less total impact of radiation over the course of your life, since the effects are cumulative.

More Complete Imaging

The mechanics of modern imaging is quite different. In some cases, panoramic radiographs allow for complete full-mouth imaging in one shot! Not only are the images easier to get, they are higher quality. Plus, the tooth-specific images provide high resolution data that can be enlarged on the computer screen inside of the room. You’ll be able to “co-diagnose” right alongside of our dentist! We can even adjust the exposure as we go, lightening areas that are too dark to read with accuracy, which leads to…

Better Diagnostics

Better images make it easier to see the smallest areas of decay. They can be treated early in a way that is minimally invasive. This is preferable to catching the decay after it has reached the nerve or root of the tooth, requiring a root canal!

Quicker Dental Visits

Modern imaging shows up immediately in the dental office’s software, where it is stored digitally within your digital chart. That means less time in the chair waiting for the film to develop. Less time waiting for the dentist to decide he needs one more picture of that angle or tooth. Less time in the dentist’s chair means more time for your life!

Overall, the benefits of x-rays far outweigh the minute amount of radiation exposure associated with digital imaging. Since dental radiography is a preventive diagnostic tool, it has been designed with the lowest amounts of radiation possible.

At Pier Dental Centre, we are committed to serving our patients in the safest, healthiest way possible, including using modern imaging. Schedule your appointment at our North Vancouver office today!