Hello and welcome to my first ever blog entry! I’m totally new to this, but super excited to be embarking on this new adventure.
I plan on not only sharing my professional opinion on various dental related, but also at times my personal opinion on various “life in general” topics.
My mission is to inform you about all the different things that could affect your overall oral health status and how it affects your body and lifestyle. I’m here to answer any questions you may have about your smile: tooth whitening, gum disease, root canal treatment or even Botox treatment!!!
Just let me know what topics you are interested in hearing more about, or make a comment on something I’ve blogged about. So yeah, that’s it! Let’s get started!
By now you’ve read the quote in the picture. Everybody is always afraid of x-rays and the amount of radiation they emit. There has always been a need for taking dental x-rays on an annual basis, because unfortunately, as I like to tell my patients, I haven’t mastered the talent of having x-ray vision yet. However, being judicious with the number and type of x-rays you take, as a practitioner, is key. I always take the age of the patient, dentition, risk of decay, periodontal status and overall health history into account before I recommend any type of x-rays.
Living here in Florida, we get lots of radiation from the sun every time we walk to and from our cars in a parking lot. Thankfully with the modern technology that exists today, each digital x-ray emits up to 90% less radiation than old school traditional film x-rays. Also, if we have to retake an x-ray, we can do it within 3 seconds, because the image shows up on the monitor immediately. There’s no waiting for film to develop before I’m able to analyze it. I absolutely love the technology of digital x-rays because it makes our jobs faster, especially while doing long root canal treatments. The only downside I’ve seen is that the digital sensor can be slightly uncomfortable because it is not flexible and can be difficult to position. However, the benefits definitely outweigh the discomfort.
So don’t forget that if you refuse x-rays when I recommend them to you, be aware that due to my lack of “x-ray vision superpowers”, I will be unable to give you a complete exam and may not be able to diagnose infection or decay without the x-rays. And remember, a healthy smile is always in style!
Until next time,
Dr. Meli