Digital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital x-rays are used instead of traditional photographic film.  Advantages include time efficiency through bypassing chemical processing and the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images.  Digital radiography also requires much less radiation.  The radiological ( x-ray) examinations in dentistry may be classified as: intraoral where the film is placed in the mouth and the purpose being to visualize a limited region, or extraoral where the film is outside the mouth and the purpose is to visualize a wide region.  In dentistry, one type of extraoral imaging is the Panoramic x-ray ( aka "panorex or "pano").   This x-ray shows all of the roots of your teeth, the bone, joints, and sinus areas.  Digital radiography is environmentally friendly because chemicals are not used in developing the x-rays.  In our office all of our patients are required to wear a lead apron to minimize radiation exposure.  All of our dental assistants and hygienists are certified in radiography.

Dental x-rays only involve a very small portion of the body so if you are currently receiving medical radiology it usually does not overlap or affect it.  Digital technology also allows us to look at your x-rays on a computer screen or tv monitor making it much easier to review and share our findings with you.

Sitting in the dental chair can be intimidating, especially when you have a problem and are relying on your dentist for their opinion.  That complete trust is difficult for many people.  Now you have the ability to see what your dentist sees through the miracle of miniaturized electronics and the intraoral camera.  This miniature camera looks like a slightly oversized pen and allows us to guide you on a tour of your mouth.

You are able to look at a TV monitor and see for the first time what we see as dentists.  An intraoral camera is an indispensable diagnostic and educational tool.  The tiny video camera moves around inside your mouth and generates a tooth by tooth picture exam of your teeth.   The images can be stored, and later enlarged and printed.  As it is nearly impossible to see inside your own mouth, intraoral cameras provide a previously unseen view.

The pen sized camera is completely painless to use.   Since the intraoral camera generates images that are stored, enlarged, and analyzed, often dental problems are caught in the early stages and sometimes even problems that we dentists might otherwise miss with a visual examination are discovered.  Once treatment options are discussed and agreed upon, intraoral cameras can be used to effectively track treatment progress.

According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, someone dies from oral cancer every hour of every day in the United States alone.  This cancer, found in the mouth, lips or throat , is often highly curable if diagnosed and treated early.  Unfortunately, in its early stages, oral cancer can go unnoticed.  Those at high risk for oral cancer include tobacco users, African-American men, families with a history of cancer and heavy drinkers, but anyone can develop oral cancer.  According to the Oral Cancer Consortium, 25 percent of people diagnosed with oral cancer have no risk factors.

Studies have also determined there is a link between HPV (human papilloma virus) and oral cancer, which has resulted in an increasing incidence of oral cancer in society, especially in younger people.  We have always screened our patients for any signs or symptoms of oral cancer during your regular check-ups, but early stages are difficult to detect with the naked eye.  The FDA has recently approved a device to detect oral cancer called a Velscope.  Velscope is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists and hygienists with an easy-to-use examination system for the early detection of abnormal tissue.  It is based on the direct visualization of tissue fluorescence and the changes in fluorescence that occur when abnormalities are present.  The Velscope handpiece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity, which excites the tissue, causing it to fluoresce.  The clinician is then able to immediately view the different fluorescence responses to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.

Typically, healthy tissue appears as a bright apple-green glow while suspicious regions are identified by a loss of fluorescence, which thus appears dark.  When used as an adjunctive aid in combination with traditional oral cancer examination procedures, Velscope facilitates the early discovery and visualization of mucosal abnormalities that may lead to oral cancer.  In one or two minutes, with no rinses or stains required, a Velscope examination helps the dentist do the most advanced oral cancer exam available in a dental office at this time.   We strive to provide this exam at no additional charge to you once per year.