Everything you need to know about X-Rays in a Dental Treatment

What is a Dental X-ray?

Radiographs or dental x-rays are images of your teeth and bone that a dentist takes to evaluate and examine a dental problem. They allow the dentist to look inside the teeth. They are very low levels of radiation used to get an inside image of your teeth and bones to diagnose a cavity, infection, fracture, impacted teeth, and a lot more.

What does a dental X-ray show?

Decayed areas in teeth

Cysts and tumors

Decay beneath old fillings

Bone loss in the jaw

The position of teeth to fix what type of tooth implant, braces, or dentures.

Infection/pus

Prognosis of an old treatment

Treatment procedures like extraction or a root canal.

Why is a dental x-ray important?

Dental problems usually require an x-ray for almost every diagnosis. A cavity that is not visible from the naked eye, a fracture line in the jaw or teeth, or even impacted teeth which is clinically invisible, needs an advanced diagnostic tool like an X-ray to make a correct diagnosis and further treatment. It’s impossible to diagnose such cases without an X-ray.

Apart from decay, it shows changes in bone or bone loss of the jaw, cysts, tumors and it’s also required in proceeding of treatments like root canal or extraction.

Children may need dental X-rays more often than adults because of their fast-growing dentition. It is important because it helps the clinician to determine if baby/milk teeth need to be extracted to avoid complications such as permanent teeth growing behind baby teeth, which is one of the most common dental problems in children.

How is a dental X-ray taken?

Taking a dental x-ray does not require any special preparations. The sensor is just put in the patients’ mouth and it takes less than a few seconds for exposure and the image to pop out on a screen. A lead apron is given to the patient to prevent unwanted exposure to other areas.

Are dental X-rays safe?

The radiation emitted from the X-ray unit used in dentistry is extremely small. Advanced technologies in the equipment of dentistry have limited the radiation beam to a small area, focusing only on the required site. The use of high-speed X-rays, lead-aprons, and less than a fraction of a second of exposure time significantly reduce risks associated with radiation. There are even laws that require accuracy and safety checks for X-ray machines

Does getting multiple X-rays prone me to risk?

The dose of radiation you are exposed to during the taking of dental X-rays is extremely small, especially if your dentist is using digital X-rays. The clinician treating you is exposed to the radiation for a much longer period of time as he takes multiple X-rays every day for years. Modern technology has enabled dentists to work with a considerably low-risk X-ray unit, making it completely safe for a patient, except for a few with certain medical histories.

Advances in dentistry over the years have led to a number of measures that minimize the risks associated with X-rays. So, don't worry about getting one done for your treatment.