What is the purpose of the development stage in x-ray processing?

The development stage in x-ray processing plays a crucial role in transforming the latent image on the film into a visible image. During this stage, the film is immersed in a developer solution, which contains chemicals that react with the silver halide crystals that were exposed to x-rays. This chemical reaction reduces these crystals to metallic silver, creating the dark areas of the image where the x-rays penetrated the film more. Simultaneously, unexposed crystals remain unchanged and are later removed in the fixing stage.

This process is essential for allowing radiologists and dental professionals to view the x-ray images clearly, which is critical for diagnosis and treatment planning. Without this development process, the x-ray would remain invisible, rendering it useless for clinical purposes.