Dental X-rays play an important role in your preventative care plan for your teeth and gums. These internal images allow your dentist to examine your jawbone, nerves, sinuses, teeth roots, and other areas that they can’t see during a regular check-up.
For today’s blog post, let’s dig into why dental X-rays are important for preventative care of your oral health.
Like other X-rays, dental X-rays use electromagnetic radiation to take images of your mouth. They may be taken with film (traditional) or with digital sensors and a computer (digital). In both cases, the radiation beam passes through your soft tissues to create images of your teeth and bones. Digital dental X-rays use 80 to 90 percent less radiation compared to traditional machines.
Dental X-rays allow your dentist to diagnose a number of oral health issues, including:
- Tooth decay and cavities, particularly small areas of decay between your teeth
- Decay underneath existing fillings
- Infected areas
- Bone loss in your jaw
- Impacted or unerupted teeth
- Abscessed teeth (or an infection at the root of your tooth or between your gums and your tooth)
- Cysts
- Some types of tumors
Additionally, X-rays can determine your options for treatments like braces, dentures, and dental implants. They may also be used to check your healing after procedures like root canal therapy and dental bone grafts.
There are two different types of dental X-rays: intraoral and extraoral.
Intraoral X-rays are taken with the film or sensor inside of your mouth. There are three different types of this type of X-ray:
- Bitewings: These X-rays show your upper and lower teeth in one area of your mouth. They don’t typically show the roots of your teeth. They help your dentist identify decay between your teeth as well as any chances that occur below your gum line.
- Periapical: These X-rays show your entire tooth — from the crown to the root. They allow your dentist to detect decay, bone loss, gum disease, and other abnormalities of your teeth, gums, or jaw.
- Occlusal: Occlusal X-rays allow your dentist to see the floor or roof of your mouth. They can be helpful to diagnose an impacted or fractured tooth as well as identify cysts, abscesses, and jaw fractures. Pediatric dentists may also use them to look at developing teeth.
Extraoral X-rays, then, are taken with the film or sensor outside of your mouth. There are three types of this type of X-ray too.
- Panoramic: A panoramic X-ray shows your entire mouth — your upper and lower teeth, jaw joints, nerves, sinuses, and supporting bone — in a single image. It’s a great way for your dentist to get a full understanding of your oral health issues.
- Cephalometric: With this image, your dentist can see the location of your teeth in relation to your jaw. These X-rays are often used by orthodontists to plan treatment for correcting bites.
- Cone beam CT scan: Here, your dentist can capture 3D dental X-rays of your teeth, jaws, joints, sinuses, and nerves. These scans can also show facial fractures or tumors.
We hope you’ll contact Maitland Ave Smile Co. for your dental care!
Call us at 407.834.0330 to schedule your appointment today! Check out our Dental Blog to learn more about topics like restorative dentistry, dental anxiety, and more.