Direct wired sensors are much thicker than film, and often cause pain as the sensor is pushed deep into the corners of the mouth – it might not even be able to image a critical area. The one above is OVER 12 TIMES thicker than a standard packet of film!
RADIATION SCARE
Did you know that a full series of intra-oral X-Rays using D speed film is equivalent to just a few hours in the sun?
COST
Digital systems and sensors are enormously expensive. Costs that are inevitably passed on to the patient.
IMAGE RESOLUTION
In dentistry, detail smaller than what the human eye can see matters! Digital Sensors simply don’t measure up!
“Even though digital x-ray may be convenient for the dental office staff, it’s definitely NOT better for the patient! Film is very thin and flexible, it’s been proven safe, it’s inexpensive, and it provides TWICE the resolution! FILM is the CLEAR Choice!”
Digital X-Ray Sensors are Difficult to Fully Sterilize!
Digital sensors cannot be heat sterilized like other dental instruments and due to their extreme cost, throwing them away after each use, like a packet of film, is not an option. So strict procedures MUST be consistently followed after EVERY patient use to ensure that the sensor is completely sterile before the next patient uses the sensor. If these protocols are not precisely followed, the PATIENT IS AT RISK! So the question is, do you trust that those procedures are being precisely and consistently followed? If not, then a thin plastic bag is the only protection.
Digital Sensor Bag Failure Report
The first article, written by Dr. David Gane, discusses Infection Control and Sterilization with Digital Sensors. With x-ray film, no sterilization is required, because the film is disposable, it’s sterile every time. The second article was printed in the Journal of the American Dental Association, and discusses the effectiveness of barrier sheaths. It points out that the failure rate is up to 51% based on a study of 400 patients!
If digital sensors were in fact fully sterilized before every new patient, then there really shouldn’t be a need for bags at all, right? However, since all digital offices use these bags, its not hard to imagine that digital sensor sterilization protocols may slip from time to time, or far worse may not even be followed at all. The office may begin to believe that the bag will fully protect the patient. Few offices are aware of the articles that you just read. The 51% bag failure rate puts PATIENTS AT RISK! Insist on X-Ray FILM. It’s safe, disposable, and always sterile!
