2 min read 4

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…
2 min read 2

x ray unit settings: milliampere (mA)

This week will be covering the milliampere or mA setting on an x ray unit.  Changing the mA affects the QUANTITY of x rays produced.  Some units have a fixed mA (typically in the range of 7 – 12) and some are changeable (from 5 – 15).  For those units…
3 min read 15

x ray unit settings: kilovoltage peak (kVp)

This is the beginning of a 4 week series going over the settings on a x ray unit and how they affect image quality.  The first topic I am going to cover is kilovoltage peak or kVp.  Changing the kVp on a unit is directly associated with the overall contrast…
2 min read 17

Why a radiograph and x ray are not the same thing

Many, many people and dental professionals incorrectly use the term x ray when referring to a radiograph.  I am quite the nitpick on this and other terminology, which drives my students up the walls from time to time.  I’m not sure why or how everyone learned to incorrectly identify a…