Q: I recently acquired digital radiography systems in my office, and now my staff wants to get rid of the x-ray developer that we only use for panoramic radiographs. What are my choices for going digital with my panoramic system?
A: This same dilemma occurred in my office. You can stop taking panoramic radiographs, but that does not help if you need that type of radiograph on a routine basis. Some panoramic machines can be retrofitted to accept a digital sensor to capture the radiographs. You will need to consult with your panoramic manufacturer to see if this option is available to you.
Another choice is to consider getting a system such as the Air Techniques ScanX, which has a panoramic-sized phosphor plate that fits into your current panoramic system and the radiographs can be scanned into your imaging software.
The last choice is, of course, to purchase a digital panoramic system. The newer digital panoramic machines may be upgraded to do cephalometrics or even cone-beam CT.
Martin Jablow, D.M.D., is a practicing dentist and a self-professed technophile who lectures and blogs on a variety of technologies used in dentistry (dentechblog.blogspot.com). If you have a technology question for Dr. Jablow, e-mail it to us at [email protected].
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