Dental Images & the Radiographer

Dental Images & the Radiographer

Who is a dental radiographer?

Any person who postitions, exposes, and processes dental x-ray image receptors.

Duties & Responsibilties of the Dental Radiographer

Why are Dental X-Rays so Important

The dental radiographer will...

1. Position and expose dental x-ray image receptors
2. Process dental x-ray film (not common anymore)
3. Retrieve data of digital images
4. Mount and identify dental images
5. Educate patients about dental imaging
6. Maintain x-ray equipment, implement and monitor quality control tests
7. Order x-ray equipment and related supplies

We need dental radiographs to...

1. Detect diseases, lesions, and conditions of the teeth that cannot always be seen in a clinical examination alone. Including:

• Missing teeth
• Extra teeth
• Impacted teeth
• Dental caries
• Periodontal disease
• Tooth abnormalities
• Retained roots
• Cysts and tumors

2. Dental x-rays detect and confirm suspected issues for each individual patient.3. Dental images are an essential component of the patient record that contain an enormous amount of information.4. Dental images also allow the dentist to have a baseline for the patient that can be used to compare images when a problem may arise