DENTAL X-RAYS

State-of-the-art dental x rays are available from Dr. Jon Zoutendam in Traverse City

In Traverse City, the only place to find digital dental x-rays is at Dr. Jon Zoutendam’s office. This state-of-the-art technology is soon to become standard of care, and he has stayed ahead of the curve to ensure that he is providing his patients with the most up-to-date, cost-effective dental care.

Dental x-rays are a useful diagnostic tool when helping your dentist detect damage and disease not visible during a regular dental exam. How often dental x-rays should be taken depends on your present oral health, your age, your risk for disease, and any signs and symptoms of oral disease. For example, children may require dental x-rays more often than adults because their teeth and jaws are still developing and their teeth are more likely to be affected by tooth decay than those of adults. Dr. Jon will review your history, examine your mouth and then decide whether or not you need dental x-rays.

There are several benefits of using this new digital dental x-ray technology:

The technique uses less radiation than the typical x-ray and there is no wait time for the x-rays to develop — the images are available on screen a few seconds after being taken.

The image taken, of a tooth for example, can be enhanced and enlarged many times its actual size on the computer screen, making it easier for your dentist to show you where and what the problem is.

If necessary, images can be electronically sent to another dentist or specialist — for instance, for a second opinion on a dental problem — to determine if a specialist is needed, or to a new dentist (if you move).

Software added to the computer can help dentists digitally compare current images to previous ones in a process called subtraction radiography. Using this technique, everything that is the same between two images is “subtracted out” from the image, leaving a clear image of only the portion that is different. This helps dentists easily see the tiniest changes that may not have been noticed by the naked eye.

Dr. Jon Zoutendam is proud to bring this state-of-the-art digital imaging to his Traverse City office. If you’re in need of dental x-rays, call us today at 231-946-6336.