Intraoral X-rays are the most common radiographs made. If you're like most people who visit the dentist, you've had many sets of intraoral radiographs in your life and you'll likely have many more. Our office uses digital radiograph, one of the newest X-ray techniques around. With digital radiographs, film is replaced with a flat electronic pad or sensor. The X-rays hit the pad the same way they hit the film. But instead of developing the film in a dark room, the image is electronically sent directly to a computer where the image appears on the screen. The image can then be stored on the computer or printed out. This new system of taking X-rays, called digital radiography, reduces radiation by as much as 80 percent and saves time for patients. Because they give a high level of detail, these are the X-rays that allow dentists to find caries, look at the tooth roots, check the health of the bony area surrounding the tooth, see the status of developing teeth, and otherwise monitor good tooth health.