Top-Notch Dental Technology in Winston Salem

Providing exceptional dentistry for patients in the Winston-Salem community

At Pryor Dental, we provide the comprehensive dental services your family needs to achieve and maintain a healthy, vibrant smile. We believe that exceptional oral healthcare relies on a blend of this clinical expertise and state-of-the-art diagnostic technology. By utilizing advanced digital imaging, Dr. Peter B. Pryor Jr. and our team can look beneath the surface of your teeth with incredible precision. This allows us to catch potential dental issues in their earliest stages during your routine cleanings and exams, keeping your treatments minimally invasive, highly accurate, and completely personalized.

We choose to invest in modern technology like digital x-rays in Winston-Salem, which make diagnosing dental conditions faster, safer, more comfortable, and more accurate than ever before.

Digital dental x-rays are a crucial component of a well-rounded approach to dentistry. If you need to schedule a dental appointment with our treatment team, please call us today at (336) 765-7477.

No matter how well you take care of your teeth on your own, there are some services only a dentist can offer. Because it’s impossible to manage 100% of your oral healthcare by yourself, you need to visit a dentist for exams and cleanings regularly. 

One of the most valuable treatments your dentist’s office provides is access to digital dental x-rays. 

When you schedule a routine, six-month dental exam with us, we will always evaluate your teeth and determine if you need new x-rays at that time. Most patients need bitewing dental x-rays once per year, which equates to every other dental appointment. If Dr. Pryor feels that you need dental imaging done more or less frequently than every twelve months, we can adjust your treatment plan as needed. 

Why are dental x-rays so essential? Because they detect your dental decay early on—before it’s visible to the naked eye, and usually before you’re even symptomatic. 

This early detection allows Dr. Peter B. Pryor Jr. to identify enamel weakness and minor decay long before they are visible to the naked eye or cause you discomfort. Catching a cavity early means we can preserve your natural tooth structure with a simple, conservative filling. Waiting until a tooth becomes painful often means the underlying decay has reached the nerve, requiring more extensive restorations like a dental crown or root canal therapy.

Dental x-rays are the key that unlocks the door that leads to healthier smiles. While there are many reasons to visit our treatment team at Pryor Dental, getting an updated set of bitewing x-rays is one of the most important. If you need to schedule your next six-month dental exam with us, please contact us by clicking here. 

Rounding Out Your Dental Treatment

As we discussed above, digital x-rays are one of several critical components of dental visits. When you visit us for dental x-rays in Winston-Salem, we use those x-rays to guide the rest of your dental treatment. 

Advanced digital imaging allows our team to see safely beyond the surface, evaluating the structural integrity of your teeth and the health of the underlying jawbone. These high-resolution images draw our attention to "pre-cavities" (areas of early demineralization) so we can intercept them with preventive therapies.

During your examination, Dr. Pryor and our skilled hygienists review your radiographs to screen for:

• Advanced or hidden tooth decay
• Bone loss associated with gum disease (periodontitis)
• Cysts, abscesses, or deep tooth infections
• Developmental abnormalities or impacted teeth

This in-depth knowledge helps Dr. Pryor to take a closer look at individual teeth or to be extra gentle around vulnerable areas while performing your teeth cleaning. 

Additionally, if your dental x-rays indicate decay or inflamed gums, we know that we need to spend extra time during your dental appointment talking about proper brushing and flossing techniques. 

You may not realize it, but radiation is everywhere in our environment—from our soil and water to the air we breathe. Each of us gets exposed to minimal radiation from sunlight and the outside elements every day, and these small amounts of exposure are generally not considered harmful to our health. 

Still, we understand that many people today have concerns about exposure to radiation while getting dental x-rays taken. 

Patient safety is at the core of everything we do at Pryor Dental. Thanks to modern, ultra-low-dose digital sensors, the amount of radiation exposure from a routine set of four bitewing X-rays is negligible. In fact, it exposes you to less radiation than a brief domestic airplane flight or just a fraction of the natural background radiation you encounter in daily life from sunlight and the environment. We combine this advanced technology with protective lead aprons to ensure your routine diagnostics are as safe, quick, and stress-free as possible.

Modern, state-of-the-art digital x-rays are proven to reduce your exposure by as much as 90 percent compared to x-rays taken with film. You will always wear a lead apron to protect the rest of your body from unnecessary radiation, and your x-rays will be over before you know it. When you need dental x-rays in Winston-Salem, you can rest assured that your treatment is as safe as it can be! 

The Advantages of Digital X-Rays in Winston Salem

We chose to invest in digital x-ray technology because of the many benefits it offers to our patients. Some of the most significant advantages of digital x-rays include:

• Accurate, high-resolution images: Clear images allow us to quickly detect conditions like decay and dental infection early, long before we would see them with a visual exam or on a film x-ray. Detecting and treating problems when they are small helps you avoid the inconvenience and expense of complicated issues in the future
• Comfortable flat sensors: These sensors capture a digital image and send it directly to our computer, which is a vast improvement over the bulky, cumbersome x-ray film of past years.
• Valuable educational tool: Digital x-rays allow our dentist to share your images with you immediately on a chairside monitor. Dr. Pryor can manipulate the image by zooming in, rotating it, and making it larger or smaller so you can easily see what’s going on beneath the surface and why we recommend specific treatments
• Instant, secure sharing: Your digital records are stored securely within our encrypted, HIPAA-compliant network. If you require a referral to a specialist or if we need to expedite an insurance claim, we can instantaneously transfer your high-resolution images, eliminating waiting periods and unnecessary delays in your care.

At Pryor Dental, investing in smart technology is just one of the ways we prioritize your comfort, safety, and long-term oral health. Whether you are due for your routine six-month checkup or are seeking a modern, patient-centered dental home in Winston-Salem, Dr. Peter B. Pryor Jr. and our dedicated team are ready to welcome you.

Experience the difference that precise, gentle, and technologically advanced dentistry can make. Contact our Winston-Salem dental office today at (336) 765-7477 or click here to schedule your appointment!