Lawrence Kansas Dentist http://www.LesMillerDDS.com Les Miller is using new technology that eliminates the need for harmful x-rays. Dental X-rays are used to take pictures of the teeth, bones, and other surrounding soft tissues. But a major disadvantage of X-ray technology is that it uses ionizing radiation to capture the images. Now, there's a way to take pictures of teeth without harmful radiation. Lawrence Kansas dentist Dr. Les Miller is using a new technology called “DIFOTI,” or Digital Imaging Fiber Optic Trans Illumination, which uses light instead of X-rays.
"Right now, we're taking the image of the tooth and we can see it on the computer screen," Miller said. The DIFOTI device is similar to a handheld camera with a disposable mouthpiece. The powerful light travels through the layers of enamel and shows up on the screen. Unlike X-rays, Tabib said DIFOTI picks up decay at its earliest stages.
"It makes detecting tooth decay unbelievably easy,” he said. “You are never able to see this with an X-ray." The other good thing about DIFOTI, he said, is that it's safe for pregnant women while X-rays are not.
But DIFOTI has a drawback as well – it cannot take images below the gum level.
“You can only view what's above the gum level, so standard X-rays are still reliable for detecting gum disease or problems with the roots of the tooth." There’s also no need to file X-rays on charts anymore, since DIFOTI images are stored right
in the computer.
