Have you ever wondered why you need dental x-rays? You might think that they just take a picture of the inside of your mouth, but there’s actually much more to it than that.
Dental x-rays are very important to treat dental problems early. They are low radiation that can diagnose things like cavities, jaw bone loss, and tooth decay. Dental x-rays are usually taken once a year and are also used in the preparation of implants, braces, and other dental procedures.
This information will discuss how dental x-rays benefit patients by showing them areas of concern for early prevention care before tooth pain sets in. Stay tuned because we’ll be discussing different types of x-rays.
What Are Dental X-rays Called?
Dental x-rays are called “radiographs.” Dentists use radiation to view the inside of teeth and bones. Dental x-rays allow doctors to view your internal structures from the inside of your mouth. They help diagnose abnormal tooth growths, impacted teeth, and cavities. In addition, they help diagnose other standard dental problems, such as bone loss or periodontal disease in adults. Dental x-rays also help diagnose children with any incoming teeth problems.
The Benefits of Having a Dental X-ray
Dental x-rays are useful for dental care professionals to diagnose and treat medical conditions. Having a dental x-ray is one way for you to keep track of the health of your teeth and gums. It will allow you to know about any issues that are developing in your mouth, which might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, tooth decay or oral disease surrounding bone structure. A dental x-ray can also give you valuable information about the arrangement of all your teeth. For these reasons, dental x-rays are beneficial for your oral health, especially if you suffer from dental disease. Dental x-rays are radiation, just like what’s used in hospitals or on the space shuttle. Radiation can be a very useful tool when used safely and appropriately – which is exactly what dentists do with their patients every day.
Dentists use radiation on a new patient for two main reasons: to diagnose problems before they get worse, and to help them plan how best to treat problems in your lower teeth and emerging teeth. When done properly, dental X-rays can help keep your teeth stay healthy for years longer than you might otherwise expect.
Dental Radiation is Similar to Computers and Cell Phones
The radiation you get from digital dental x-rays is very similar to the radiation that’s emitted by your computer and cell phone, which are both in much closer proximity to you regularly than even the dentist’s equipment during an imaging session. Dental professionals continue using radiation because it helps them provide medical advice for patients — but their goal is always zero radiation exposure whenever possible. Your dentist will actively work with you every step of the way so any time spent exposed to radiation can be kept as short as necessary while still providing accurate images.
How Many Types of Dental X-rays are There?
There are two main types of dental x-rays: intraoral and extraoral. An intraoral x-ray shows the teeth and bones inside your mouth. An extraoral x-ray shows your face, head, neck, or other parts of your body when dental procedures are being done to treat issues in those areas. Types of intraoral radiographs commonly utilized in dental offices include periapical, bitewing, and occlusal x-rays. Periapical x-rays are typically used to diagnose tooth root infections or the presence of wisdom teeth. Periapical x-rays are used to take a closer look at the roots and bones of your teeth. The radiation exposure from dental x-rays is very low and it can be used on children as well. The average digital periapical x-ray exposure lasts about twice as long as bitewing radiation. Bitewing x-rays are generally used for preventive care or when tooth trauma is suspected. Occlusal x-rays are often used to monitor the progress of orthodontic treatments.
Types of extraoral dental x-rays include tomograms, cephalometric imaging, panoramic radiography, sialogram, and cone-beam CT. Tomograms, also known as tomographic images, are typically used to look at facial bones and for diagnosing tumors. An x-ray cephalometric imaging is a type of extraoral radiation taken from the upper neck area that shows teeth, jaws, nose, or sinuses. A panoramic dental x-ray looks similar to a bitewing but it has a wider field of view because it takes an image from ear to ear. A sialogram involves taking an x-ray after stimulating salivary gland function with pilocarpine nitrate drops placed on the tongue several times. A cone-beam CT is a radiation image taken after using special equipment to produce three-dimensional images of the head and face. This type of x-ray is often used for preoperative planning or evaluating facial injuries, tumors, cysts, or fractures that may need surgery.
These types of radiography allow dentists and oral surgeons to better diagnose diseases such as jaw disorders caused by arthritis or tumors in your head and neck region. Cephalometric imaging provides views from different angles when diagnosing jaws and teeth problems. Panoramic radiographs are commonly utilized for assessing facial bone fractures or metastatic tumors that may be present in the bones around the face. Panoramic x-rays are considered radiation safe.
How Often Do Dental X-rays Need to be Done?
One dental x-ray is typically needed every one to three years, depending on your dentist. Most dentists will request an x-ray when you visit for a routine cleaning and exam, while others may do so only if they see something unusual or suspect that there could be a problem with the entire mouth area or jaw placement.
If no problems are found during this initial checkup, another x-ray might not be necessary until after you have completed all of your scheduled cleanings and exams at least once more — which should occur within two to three years. This schedule can vary greatly from patient to patient based upon their individual needs; however, it’s common for patients who have medical conditions which increase radiation exposure (e.g., people with lung disease who need to go for radiation treatments) or a dental problem that require regular exams (e.g., pregnancy, diabetes, etc.) to receive more frequent x-rays to keep them up-to-date with the condition of their teeth and jawbones.
What is a Safe Distance from Dental X-rays?
A safe distance from dental x-rays is one foot (12 inches) away from radiation. The radiation you get from digital dental x-rays and how harmful they are depends on the type of x-ray machine your dentist uses, but generally speaking most machines produce less radiation than older ones. There is no such thing as zero radiation exposure when it comes to taking a dental x-ray; however, there are precautions that dentists can take to reduce patient radiation exposure during each procedure, including using lead aprons or “collimation” which limits radiation by only allowing an image to be taken straight down for front teeth images rather than at many different angles. Since radiation exposure increases by the square of the distance, moving one foot away from a dental x-ray machine can reduce radiation dose up to 90%.
Dental professionals do everything they can to limit radiation exposure whenever possible because there’s no reason for patients to accept more radiation than necessary. That means dentists take extra care when performing any kind of dental x-ray that might involve multiple exposures at different angles— and modern practices even use digital technology whenever possible because it uses less radiation than previous x-ray film-based systems.
