It can be a bit daunting to go to the dentist and be told that you need an x-ray of your teeth. But there is very little to fear, and the information resulting from the procedure is invaluable in maintaining your and your family’s health. A dental x-ray provides an immediate image of the bones, teeth and soft tissues in your mouth. They are crucial in helping diagnose serious, as well as not so serious, issues. When your dentist is looking through your x-rays, they are looking for signs of decay and infection, bone loss and fractures. This is also a great way to view the structure of the teeth and jaw bones.
There are two different types of dental x-ray – one where the film is placed inside your mouth and another where the film is placed against your cheek on the outside of your mouth. Sometimes people can be concerned about medical radiation used in the process. However, the amount of medical radiation is so low that there is minimal risk to you. The only people who are recommended not to have a dental x-ray are pregnant women. One of the problems an x-ray can reveal is the presence of impacted teeth. Wisdom teeth particularly can easily be spotted if they are growing at the wrong angle, and causing pain. Wisdom teeth are molars in the rear of the mouth which emerge in the late teens or early twenties – and when they emerge they can often cause overcrowding, butting into neighboring teeth and causing a wide variety of oral and dental health problems. X-rays are great at helping identify if the wisdom teeth are going to be a problem in the future.
Dental x-rays have contributed greatly to your dentist being able to track the deterioration and changes in your teeth. Keeping these records on file is a powerful way to make sure you and your family stays on top of your own dental health. In some instances there is no need to even print out the old style x-ray film, with digital imaging now saving the image to computer for future reference. Ask your dentist about what x-rays can see. They should show you exactly what their findings are.
California Shine Dental offers affordable San Jose Dentistry. Contact today for further information or to schedule an appointment.
