Rarely, there comes along a technology that truly revolutionizes the way things are done. Just like the smartphone completely changed the lives of people around the world, digital x-rays are radically changing the nature of dentist appointments and how patients experience them altogether.
Why Going Digital is Great
For some things, like traditional film cameras, upgrading to digital is a seemingly common sense choice to most, but a stylistic change for others; digital x-rays are not this way. In just about every way, digital x-rays match or exceed standard digital x-rays, with the only possible drawback falling upon the dentist for the initial investment of upgrading.
Less Radiation and Less Time
Just as the famous saying goes, less is more when it comes to radiation and time. Both of these things are something we want to have less of when we go to the dentist’s office. After all, we have a busy life to lead and would like to do so without any potential dangers for radiation or time spent waiting in a dentist chair. Digital x-rays deliver both in spectacular fashion.
While standard x-rays are debatably harmless for humans, the lead vest and thyroid protection that comes standard seems to speak of a caution with that assertion. Digital x-rays offer a fraction of the radiation levels; so much less, in fact, that techs can actually sit in the room with you without risking damage from the repeat exposure they would be faced with. While most people weren’t terribly worried about the radiation levels of dental x-rays, now there is almost no cause for concern.
A bigger benefit could be the time that is saved. While standard x-rays confine patients to the dentist’s chair for minutes while the hygienist and dentist await the x-ray results, only to have to physically read them, the patient is left stranded in the room. With digital x-rays, the images are ready in in real time and a much higher resolution, meaning less waiting and far less do-overs. To further compound the time benefit, your dentist can safely store and backup your digital x-rays electronically, which saves more time than you’d imagine in filing, finding, and comparing the images from the last time you were x-rayed.
Better Care
While standard x-rays show a good enough amount of detail to point your dentist in the right direction, digital x-rays produce a much more clear and interactive image, which means that you can rest assured that your dentist is armed with a powerful diagnostic tool that allows them to provide much more accurate and solutions-focused care before even interacting with your tooth. Also, since the digital x-ray can be quickly populated on a screen in your examination room, you are able to take a much more front-seat approach to your care and see the damaged areas your dentist is referring to firsthand.
No Added Costs
As noted before, the dentist is poised to save a considerable amount of time and money in the form of faster appointments, less administrative tasking, and no more file storage for boxes and boxes of old x-rays. This means that even though the digital x-ray machine will cost your dentist more upfront, that cost is actually an investment that can save them money, not a cost that needs to be carried on the consumer in the form of higher patient bills and premiums. The sooner your dentist invests in the technology, the sooner they will see a slight financial return from it. This benefits patients by keeping the dentist’s costs low and profitability higher, which means there is far less reason to increase prices based upon inflation or other factors. Thanks to digital x-rays, dental costs as a whole can actually go down, not up.
Visit Our Missoula Dentist
Dr. Duke at Bitterroot Dental in Missoula remains committed to the latest and greatest in technological innovation. Because of the tremendous, undeniable benefits that our Missoula dental patients can see from digital x-rays, we are beyond excited to feature the technology. If you have any questions or concerns about the x-rays you are receiving at any Missoula dentist, be sure to give our office a call to learn more about how our available technology can benefit you.
