America sinks its teeth into digital future

February 4, 1997
Web posted at: 6:30 a.m. EST

From Correspondent Gary Tuchman

FORT LEE, New Jersey (CNN) -- The trauma of a dental X-ray and its painful bite-plates of film may become a thing of the past with the introduction of a new computer-based X-ray technique.

Digital radiography images a patient's teeth by passing electrons through the mouth and into a small computer probe. The probe feeds data to a computer, creating vivid color pictures of the teeth. (938K/17 sec. small QuickTime movie or 1.8MB/17 sec. large QuickTime movie)

The new process exposes both doctor and patient to lower doses of radiation than the film-based X-ray systems. Digital radiology also has the advantage of creating less hazardous waste.

"You don't have the problems of getting rid of the chemicals you used to develop film," said New Jersey dentist Dr. Arthur Sonnenblick. "You don't have the problem of getting rid of the foil on the back of the film; that has to be disposed of properly."

The bite stuff

The old X-ray method required patients to bite down on rigid plates of film that often irritated the gums. Bursts of X-ray energy created black-and-white images of the mouth on the film, which required photographic development.

"The old procedure, you always had to bite down on these little cards, and they always seemed to dig into your gums," said dental patient George DeSanto. "I found this very uncomfortable."

Digital radiography's biggest drawback is that it is difficult to align the sensor properly in the mouth. Some dentists have had trouble getting a good image the first time, but the system's drawback leads to more patient-doctor exchange.

"Because the patients are more involved and the patients are more knowledgeable, I think they will be more conducive to having work done that is necessary," said Dr. Neill Serman, an oral radiology expert at Columbia University. "It will be easier to convince people they need it done."

The clincher for some people undergoing digital radiology, however, may be much simpler. Many patients love the technology because it prints the images out on their color printers.

 

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