Digital Radiography
We converted our practice from analog to digital radiography more than seven years ago. The major advantage to digital radiology is significantly reduced radiation exposure to our patients, usually on a magnitude of almost 80%.
Did You Know…
Digital panoramic xray exposure is about 1mrem, compared to flying in an airplane (about 5 mrem for one cross-country flight because of the increased altitude). In fact, you receive about 2 mrem per year from sleeping next to someone! This is because all of us have very small amounts of naturally occurring radioactive materials in our bodies.
Digital radiographs also lend themselves to a wide variety of computer modifications which enables us to gather the most accurate diagnostic information possible. It also enables rapid and accurate communication with other health care personnel if radiographs need to be discussed or shared. One of the great advantages of this process is that radiographs can be digitally compared to previous radiographs in a process called subtraction radiography. The computer can digitally compare the two images, subtract out everything that is the same and give a clear image of anything that is different. This means that tiny changes that may not be noticeable with the naked eye can be caught earlier and more clearly with digital-subtraction radiography.
3-D Imaging
At our Park Avenue office we have installed a state-of-the-art E-Woo dual head panoramic machine which is also a cone beam CT scanner capable of producing three-dimensional images. These images are extremely useful in planning dental implants, as well as in assessing the exact location of impacted teeth and their relationship to adjacent anatomic structures such as nerves or the maxillary sinus.
A “Greener” Practice
The elimination of the chemistry involved with developing analog radiographs as well the silver oxide x-ray film itself is in keeping with our ‘green’ philosophy.