Tru-Align Makes Dental X-Rays Safe, With Dr. Dale Miles, Oral & Maxillofacial Radiologist, Fountain Hills, Arizona

Dentists use "selection criteria," by examining their patients to determine their need for an x-ray and for what procedures they will be useful.  Dr. Dale Miles, oral and maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona, says there are several ways dentists can use equipment to reduce x-ray exposure on their patients.

In the United States and Canada, it is mandatory for a thyroid collar to be used on all children.  For adults, a leaded apron is used but if the dental office has gone digital, that is no longer needed, according to Dr. Miles.

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More recently, new equipment has come into the marketplace called Tru-Align.  Tru-Align is a rectangular collimator that fits onto an existing x-ray tube and takes the size of the x-ray beam into a rectangle from a much larger cylinder, says Dr. Miles.

All of these measures can be taken in a dental office to reduce a patient's exposure and make x-rays safe.  Dr. Miles says they all constitute the criteria for a "safe x-ray practice," and a dental practice can certify their practice that way.

Dr. Dale Miles

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On Dr. Miles's website, www.learndigital.net, a patient or dentist can look at some comparison data on exposure, along with articles on just how safe x-rays are and what constitutes a safe x-ray practice.

Dr. Dale Miles is an oral and maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona and is featured on Cone Beam TV.  Click here, http://learndigital.net, for more information on Dr. Miles.

Dental Imaging Manufacturers, Featuring Dr. Dale Miles, Oral & Maxillofacial Radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona

There are about 15-18 dental supply manufacturers in North America, one of the biggest being Henry Schein, who has a series of different products available, according to Dr. Dale Miles, oral & maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona.  

Henry Schein has the very popular i-CAT machine, the Gendex 500 from the Gendex corporation and they now have a new distribution agreement with Planmeca, who makes a high-tech, multifunctional cone beam machine that also does traditional panoramic views.  "They have a lot of products worth looking at," says Dr. Miles.

Dr. Miles adds that there are other distributors out there that have other products and dentists would have to go through their "due diligence" to check those products out to see how they would work in their own office.  As dentists all practice differently, they all need to "do their homework and find out what's the best fit for their practice," says Dr. Miles.

Dr. Dale Miles is an oral and maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona and is featured on Cone Beam TV.  Click here, http://learndigital.net, for more information on Dr. Miles.

Tru-Align Device, Featuring Dr. Dale Miles, Oral & Maxillofacial Radiologist

Dr. Dale Miles, oral and maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona, says it's always appropriate for patients to be concerned about an x-ray dose.  While dental radiation doses are much smaller, there is technology out there that can help.

Rectangular collimation has been taught for about 40 years in dental schools but no one uses it today, according to Dr. Miles.  He says there is now a push to get rectangular collimation back on board and one of the products that's been discovered is called Tru-Align.  Tru-Align, Dr. Miles says, is a very high-tech, simple, laser-guided collimation which allows the dental hygienist to use it simply and effectively.  

Tru-Align is an actual retrofit-table collar that fits to an existing x-ray machine.  Dr. Miles says it narrows the x-ray beam down from a large round beam to one rectangular in size and the image is marginally larger than the receptor.  It is attached to a film holding device, locked in by magnets and has a light display to show if it's engaged.  Once it's in the patient's mouth, says Dr. Miles, they actually can't separate from it.

There are brief exposure times associated with the Tru-Align device and it is simple to use and can be used with any dental x-ray machine at a low-cost, says Dr. Miles.

Dr. Dale Miles is an oral and maxillofacial radiologist in Fountain Hills, Arizona and is featured on Cone Beam TV.  Click here, www.learndigital.net, for more information on Dr. Miles.