Digital radiography is a type of X-ray imaging in which the images are transposed digitally onto computers or other devices rather than being developed onto film. Instead of using electromagnetic radiation and chemical processing to record an X-ray onto film, digital versions use digital sensors to record images onto an image capture device, which then creates a digital image file.

Digital dentistry encompasses things such as computer-aided diagnostic imaging, computer-aided design and fabrication of dental restorations such as crowns for individual patients, and dental lasers. Digital dentistry techniques have grown in popularity in recent years with the advance of computers and other technologies such as digital sensors.

When contemplating the change to digital dental in your practice, the choices can be confusing for the dentist. Dental radiography has evolved from film and chemical developers into a highly technical process that involves various types of digital x-ray machines, as well as powerful dental software programs to assist the dentist with image acquisition and diagnostic analysis of the acquired images. When making the decision to purchase x-ray equipment, the doctor needs to research the available options thoroughly, in order to make an informed choice for the “right” machine for his or her practice.

Your dentist or the dental tech inputs the command for the dental X-ray machine to send a X-ray through your teeth and into the sensor, effectively taking a photo of your tooth or teeth. The sensor captures the resulting image and sends it through the wire to the computer. Then your dentist will reposition the sensor and take additional digital X-rays until all of your teeth have been X-rayed.

With digital dental X-rays, your dentist or other dental professional is able to immediately see your teeth and jaw bones. This means that assessment and diagnosis is virtually instantaneous. Dentist using this technique takes an image of the patient's damaged tooth and feeds it into a computer equipped with the appropriate software. The computer then uses the image of the damaged tooth to create an image of a restoration fitted to the patient's tooth, which is then sent to a device that actually carves a restoration out of porcelain or composite resin.

Replacing physical photographs with computer data also eliminates the expense of processing and storing these pictures and makes it easier to quickly send a patient's information to another dentist or an insurance company. The ability to use computer enhancement of images can also help to compensate for flaws in the original image, such as overexposure or under exposure, and so reduces the need to retake images, which saves time and reduces the patient's exposure to radiation.