Digital X-rays at Sunset Family Dental Care

Digital X-rays are an essential diagnostic tool in modern dentistry, providing a clear and detailed view of your teeth, gums, and jawbone. They are crucial for detecting dental issues that are not visible during a regular dental examination, such as cavities, bone loss, impacted teeth, and infections. At Sunset Family Dental Care, we use advanced digital X-ray technology to ensure accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans.

Advantages of Digital X-rays

Digital X-rays offer several benefits over traditional film X-rays:

• Lower Radiation Exposure: Digital X-rays require significantly less radiation than traditional film X-rays, making them safer for patients.
• Enhanced Image Quality: The high-resolution images produced by digital X-rays allow for better detection and diagnosis of dental issues.
• Immediate Results: Digital X-ray images are available instantly, allowing our dentists to review them during your appointment and discuss any findings or concerns with you right away.
• Environmentally Friendly: Digital X-rays eliminate the need for chemical processing, reducing environmental impact.
• Easy Storage and Sharing: Digital images can be easily stored in your electronic health record and shared with specialists if needed.

What to Expect During a Digital X-ray

Having digital X-rays taken is a quick and painless process:

1. Preparation: Our dental assistant will position you comfortably in the dental chair and place a lead apron over your body to protect you from any minimal radiation exposure.

1. Taking the X-rays: The dental assistant will position the digital sensor in your mouth to capture the necessary images. You may need to bite down on a small device to keep the sensor in place while the images are taken.

1. Reviewing the Images: The digital X-ray images will be displayed on a computer screen almost immediately. Our dentist will review the images with you, explaining any findings and discussing the next steps if treatment is needed. This is part of our thorough approach to dental exams.

Types of Digital X-rays

At Sunset Family Dental Care, we use various types of digital X-rays to get a comprehensive view of your oral health:

• Bitewing X-rays: These images show the upper and lower back teeth in a single view, helping to detect cavities between teeth and monitor bone health. Regular checkups and cleanings include these essential diagnostics.
• Periapical X-rays: These images focus on one or two teeth at a time, capturing the entire tooth from the crown to the root. They are useful for diagnosing issues such as abscesses or bone loss, critical for our root treatments.
• Panoramic X-rays: These images provide a broad view of the entire mouth, including the teeth, jaw, and surrounding structures. They are often used to plan treatments such as dental implants or orthodontics.
• Occlusal X-rays: These images show the roof or floor of the mouth and are used to find extra teeth, jaw fractures, or other abnormalities. They are part of our comprehensive pediatric dentistry services to monitor the development of children's teeth.

Integrating Digital X-rays into Your Care

Digital X-rays are an integral part of your overall dental care at Sunset Family Dental Care. They help us to:

• Monitor Oral Health: Regular digital X-rays allow us to track changes in your dental health over time and catch potential issues early. This is a key component of our preventive care approach.
• Plan Treatments: Detailed images help us create precise treatment plans for procedures like fillings, crowns, bridges, and dental implants.
• Preventive Care: By identifying issues early, we can take preventive measures to avoid more extensive and costly treatments in the future.