We finally added digital x-rays to our office. It was a big expense but it was well worth it. Digital x-rays have been available for a number of years, however, the quality didn’t come close to film. With the recent advances in technology, the number of megapixels available now can match good quality x-ray film. There are two types of digital x-rays. One system uses a phosphor plate in place of the film, the other uses a direct sensor just like the light sensor in your digital camera. The phosphor plate must be sent through a scanner which is then processed by a computer which inherently causes a delay in viewing the resulting radiograph. The sensor type provides almost instantaneous feedback due to to it’s direct connection to the computer, however, the sensor is quite bulky and can be uncomfortable. We chose the phosphor plate system due to it’s sensor (it’s thinner than regular x-ray film) for the ultimate comfort for our patients. The radiation dosage that is needed to obtain good radiographs is less than that of film and there is no messy chemicals to fool with during processing.