Digital X-RaysDigital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film. Advantages include time efficiency through bypassing chemical processing and the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images. Also less radiation can be used to produce an image of similar contrast to conventional radiography.
Digital Radiography (DR) or (DX) is essentially filmless X-ray image capture. In place of X-ray film, a digital image capture device is used to record the X-ray image and make it available as a digital file that can be presented for interpretation and saved as part of the patient’s medical record. The advantages of DR over film include immediate image preview and availability, a wider dynamic range which makes it more forgiving for over- and under-exposure as well as the ability to apply special image processing techniques that enhance overall display of the image. The largest motivator for healthcare facilities to adopt DR is its potential to reduce costs associated with processing, managing and storing films. Typically there are two variants of digital image capture devices. These devices include Flat Panel detectors (FPDs), and High Density Line Scan Solid State detectors.
Intraoral Cameras
Our intra-oral camera is an amazing handheld device that combines an extremely bright light source with a tiny, high definition video camera. Most intra-oral cameras look a lot like a writing pen, and when moved around inside your mouth, they give our team the ability to see enlarged, detailed images of the surfaces of your teeth, the condition of your gums, and other valuable information about the tissues inside your mouth.
Dr. Shafik will use this tiny device to capture close-up pictures of your teeth that we often display on a monitor. Intra-oral cameras don’t cause any type of pain, discomfort, or ill side effects. They help us see tarnished or corroded fillings, decay, bleeding gums, plaque, or hairline fractures in your teeth, in real time, as you sit comfortably in our dental chair!
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula N2O. It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as “laughing gas” due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative anesthetic. It is also used as an oxidizer in rocketry and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen. (Source Wikipedia.com)