Understanding Dental X-rays

Why do dentists and other dental professionals use dental X-rays? Dental X-rays can supply a lot of information to the dentists though they may cause discomfort while being taken. They indicate where tooth decay and cavities are, they warn oral surgeons to the presence of nerves or misshapen teeth and roots, they reveal the location of wisdom teeth, bone loss, and presence of cysts, tumors and supernumerary (extra) and impacted teeth.Dental X-rays also point out fractures or cracks and can be a means of recognizing a person at sometime in the future.

Obviously they are put to use on a daily basis in most dental practices, and X-ray equipment is found in almost every office. The method of producing an X-ray generally requires the patient to wear a leaden vest first; the technical person or the dentist then places a little cardboard or plastic container inside the patient’s mouth, adjusts it into proper position, and requests them to hold it in its position by biting hard on it. The experience is often a painful one, but it takes only a few seconds.

But why the lead vest?Because X-rays involve radiation, experts believe it is best to cover the patient with a protective barrier. Modern vests in dental practices will come equipped with a thyroid collar which covers the throat and protects the thyroid glands from any exposure. However, the radiation threat from a dental X-ray machine is too little to worry about.

How often can a patient have dental X-rays taken? There are federal guidelines regarding the permitted frequency of dental X-rays for those at high or low risk of dental decay. For those at little risk for decay the Federal Drug Administration suggests X-rays every two to three years (for adults), and for those at risk they suggest every year or every eighteen months.Most dentists will take X-rays of their patients as part of a regular check-up.

Modern digital radiography has rendered the old method of using plastic or cardboard film plates totally obsolete.

Interestingly, the developing trends in body piercing, including those of the lip, tongue, cheek and nose may interfere with the results of an X-ray.

There are several types of dental X-rays, and each is used for specific diagnostic purposes.They each address a separate area of the mouth, including the palate, jaws, sinuses and nasal passages. This is done to comprehensively assess different areas of the mouth that are vulnerable to dental ailments.