Author: Dr. Shawneen Gonzalez

DDS, MS, Diplomate ABOMR
3 min read 0

Digital radiography: Basics

This will be the first of a new series on digital radiography. I won’t be going into deep detail about the mechanisms of how the different digital radiography systems work but more covering things that a salesperson may tell you or that you’ll see in ads and how to discern…
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Case of the Week: Enamel pearl

This week I am showing a case of an enamel pearl along with the clinical photo of the tooth after it was extracted.  Enamel pearls are an extra ‘blob’ of enamel near the furcation area on molars.   They will present as circular radiopaque areas near the furcation.   They…
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x ray unit settings: putting it all together

Now that we’ve gone over how changing the different settings affect your final image, we will go over how to adjust the settings and produce an image of similar density.  First we’ll discuss kilovoltage peak (kVp) and then onto milliampere (mA). Kilovoltage peak (kVp) A few weeks ago we went…
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Case of the Week: Tonsiliths

This week is showing a case of calcifications in the tonsillar crypts also known as tonsiliths.  Tonsiliths are incidental findings on pantomographs.  Tonsiliths clinically present as  yellow-white stones in the tonsillar crypts.  They range in size from millimeters to centimeters.  A few studies have linked tonsiliths with halitosis (bad breath). …
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x ray unit settings: time

This last setting on the x ray unit is one that can be changed on all x rays units.  🙂  However, it is also one of the least changed settings I have come across in private offices. Newer x ray units typically have preset times for different areas of the…