Are Digital X-Rays Safer?

More and more dental centers are moving to the digital x-ray system in their office. In fact, more times than not a dental center that we visit has moved to this technology. There are major advantages to the dental office to make the switch, but what about the patient?
Are the digital x-rays safer? Is there less exposure to radiation?

The answers to these questions are YES and YES. Unlike the older film based x-rays, the digital x-rays have a better range of coverage. Which means that it takes less x-rays to get get the what the dental center needs. Also, the x-ray is completed faster. Unlike the film x-rays, the amount of time needed to obtain the picture is reduced.


"Re-shots" can be corrected faster as well. With the film x-ray, if the x-ray tech was a little off or if something with wrong in development, then they had to come back a re-take the x-ray. Knowing that they needed to do that could take 15-20 minutes. With the digital x-rays, the actual x-ray appears instantly and the tech is able to see if everything came out okay and adjust if it didn't.

Lastly, with the advancement in digital x-ray technology, you are exposed to 90% less radiation than with a film x-ray. Which makes them safer for you.