Dentists have long used X-rays as one of their tools in helping patients. X-rays have become incredibly important over time as they can help dentists find diseases and abnormalities that standard exams cannot find.
Those include small areas of decay between teeth or below fillings, bone infections, early symptoms of periodontal disease or developmental abnormalities. They can even help to identify abscesses or cysts and some types of tumors
Dental X-rays actually date back to the early days of X-rays themselves.
German scientists Dr. Otto Walkhoff is credited with doing the first dental radiograph shortly after Wilhelm Rontgen’s first discovery of the rays in 1895. Wolkhoff did the first dental X-ray on himself, exposing himself for more than 25 minutes, notes RDH Magazine. While several other dentists helped further the practice along, New Orleans dentist C. Edmond Kells is recognized as discovering some of the first practical dental applications for X-rays.
William Herbert Rollins, a dentist and physician, suffered burns on his hand while developing the first dental X-ray unit. As a result, he became interested in radiation production and published the first paper discussing the risks. Those precautions were eventually used more widely in the dental profession, allowing for X-rays to be used in more offices more safely.
Standard X-rays were used in the dental professional until 1987 when French dentist Francis Mouyen introduced digital imaging. This allowed dentists to do X-rays without processing film, making it a much easier, quicker and safer process for all of those involved. Digital X-rays are now used in almost every dental office in the United States today, including here at Genesee Dental.
It’s amazing the history some of the tools we still use today have. It’s hard to imagine having dental X-rays a century ago, but that happened. Today’s process is much easier and much safer. Now, the next time you go in for a dental X-ray, you’ll not only know the reasons why, but some of the steps it took to get there.
To schedule your next appointment at Genesee Dental, call the office today at 585-343-1113 or request an appointment online now.