Digital Imaging

At Fairmont Dental Group, one of the ways in which we strive to provide optimal care to our patients is the use of digital imaging, or digital x-rays. What are the advantages of digital x-rays compared to conventional analog film?

• Lower radiation dose to the patient with digital x-rays.
• Instant image. The digital image is immediately transferred to the computer after it has been taken. This greatly reduces the wait time compared to analog film, which can take many minutes to process.
• Enhanced communication with the patient, as the image is visualized on the monitor.
• The quality of digital films is more consistent. Analog film, on the other hand, is affected to a greater degree by human factors of quality control in film handling and chemical processing.
• Digital films are more environmental. There are no hazardous film processing chemicals and lead foils to dispose of.
• Digital images can be enhanced to improve the ability of the clinician to interpret the image.
• Digital images can be electronically transferred to other dental offices without loss of quality in the original image. On the other hand, duplicated analog films are inferior in quality to the original.
• Digital images can easily be stored, backed up and retrieved, while analog films can be misfiled, lost, or damaged.