Dental X-Rays Are Safer Than They Used To Be
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Transcript of Dental X-Rays Are Safer Than They Used To Be
Today, both x-ray equipment and techniques have been refined to a high level of precision that makes them safer than ever.
The history of dental x-rays begins with the discovery of radium by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895.
1895
The ability to see the boney structures inside the body opened up new opportunities to understand and treat numerous diseasesand injuries.
Very soon after this discovery, Dr. Otto Walkhoff in Braunschweig, Germany, took the first x-ray of the oral cavity.
The new technology quickly spread throughout Europe and to the United States, where it was used to help patients with hidden dental conditions.
Because of the dangers of excessive amounts of radiation during diagnostic x-rays, strict controls have been put on the use of x-ray equipment.
Agencies such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, as well as the American Dental Association, provides a number of guidelines in regard to who should get dental x-rays, how many x-rays should be administered and the safest way to administer x-rays.
These recommendations are implemented to ensure that minimum amounts of radiation are used to diagnose dental problems.
Radiation occurs naturally in the environment, and people are exposed to it as they go about their normal lives.
Some activities, such as taking an airplane flight, expose people to slightly higher levels of radiation.
The amount of radiation patients receive as a result of dental x-rays is thousands of times less than natural radiation.
Because of this uncertainty, medical and dental equipment designers continuously try to develop equipment that uses less radiation than previous equipment, yet still effectively creates the images that help to diagnose and treat medical and dental conditions.
In the early days of x-rays, patients were exposed to large amounts of radiation that could potentially cause cancer many years later.
Today, new technology has allowed x-ray equipment to use minute amounts of radiation to produce high-quality images of the structures inside of the teeth and jaw, with minimal risk.
The digital equipment also eliminates the need for chemicals to process the images, making them more environmentally friendly.
Computer tomography, or CT scans, that allow the even greater examination and diagnosis of internal structures possible, using very small amounts of radiation.
The hand-held x-ray machine and other developments are helping to bring the powerof radiologic diagnosis to areas of the worldthat previously could not support thiscomplex technology.
No doubt greater improvements will bring even more safety and convenience to x-ray equipment in the future.
Their Chandler dentists will ask you questions, examine you, and determine exactly what needs to be done to get you back to normal.