X-rays, likewise referred to as radiographs, are a crucial part of any dental care treatment plan. They are diagnostic, but they can also be preventative, by assisting a dental professional identify prospective oral care concerns in a patient’s mouth before they become a major problem. An x-ray is a type of energy that goes through soft tissues and is absorbed by dense tissue. Teeth and bone are really thick, so they take in X-rays, while X-rays pass more easily through gums and cheeks.
Types of Dental X-Rays
X-rays are divided into two main categories, intraoral and extraoral. Intraoral is an X-ray that is taken inside the mouth. An extraoral X-ray is taken beyond the mouth.
Intraoral X-rays are the most typical kind of radiograph taken in dentistry. They offer a high level of detail of the tooth, bone and supporting tissues of the mouth. These X-rays allow dental practitioners to:
- Discover cavities
- Look at the tooth roots
- Check the health of the bony area around the tooth
- Determine if gum disease is an oral care concern
- See the status of establishing teeth
- Otherwise, keep an eye on great tooth health through prevention
Benefits of X-Rays of Teeth for Dental Practice
The advantages of X-rays are popular: They help dental experts diagnose typical problems, such as cavities, gum disease and some types of infections. Radiographs allow dental professionals to see inside a tooth and underneath the gums to evaluate the health of the bone and supporting tissues that hold teeth in location.
There are a number of X-rays a dental professional can purchase. The kind of X-ray needed will depend significantly on the kind of care the patient needs to receive.
Here are a few of the most common types of X-rays carried out:
- Periapical
Offers a view of the entire tooth, from the crown to the bone that helps to support the tooth. - Bite-Wing
Provides a visual of both the lower and upper posterior teeth. This kind of X-ray shows the dental practitioner how these teeth touch one another (or occlude) and helps to figure out if decay is present in between back teeth. - Panoramic
Reveals a view of the teeth, jaws, nasal area, sinuses and the joints of the jaw, and is generally taken when a patient may require orthodontic treatment or implant positioning. - Occlusal
Provides a clear view of the floor of the mouth to reveal the bite of the upper or lower jaw. This type of X-ray highlights children’s tooth advancement to reveal the primary (baby) and permanent (adult) teeth.
These X-rays are usually performed in the office of a dental practitioner or dental specialist. First, a dental specialist will cover you with a heavy lead apron to safeguard your body from the radiation. Next, the dental specialist will place a small apparatus, made from plastic, into your mouth and ask you to bite down on it – this holds the X-ray movie in place. The service technician will then continue to take an X-ray picture of the targeted area. This procedure is pain-free and will be duplicated till images have actually been gotten for your whole mouth. The use of digital X-rays offers considerably less radiation to the dental patient and is hassle-free and time saving for the dental practice.
Does X-Rays of Teeth Dangerous?
Dental X-rays are very safe and expose you or your child to a very small quantity of radiation. When all standard safety precautions are taken, today’s X-ray devices has the ability to remove unnecessary radiation and allows the dental expert to focus the X-ray beam on a particular part of the mouth. High-speed movie enables the dental professional to minimize the quantity of radiation the patient receives. A lead body apron covers the body from the neck to the knees and secures the body from roaming radiation.
