Sun Country Health Region (SCHR) has purchased a new digital dental x-ray unit for the operating room at Weyburn General Hospital.
The unit will make it possible for dentists to take dental x-rays on patients who require dental surgery while under anesthetic. The digital unit sends the x-ray images instantly to a computer screen where the dentist can view the images and determine if further dental work is required or whether the surgery is complete.
While the unit will be used mainly for children, it can be used for adult patients as well.
SCHR CEO Marga Cugnet says this added service will provide a higher level of care to the patients requiring dental surgery in the Region and help to eliminate the need for repeat surgery.
Weyburn dentist Chad Fletcher says the new x-ray equipment is especially useful for surgery on children. There are several benefits, he says.
"Sometimes it's difficult to get x-rays of younger children in an office setting. When they are anaesthetized in an operating room, it's easier. And the x-ray result comes up immediately on the screen. We see a lot of decay that we otherwise might not see."
"Another benefit is that the radiation dosage is far less for the patient this way, about one-tenth of what a traditional x-ray provides," he says.
