The Importance of Regular Dental X-rays

Oral health challenges are common, with studies revealing 3.5 billion people dealing with a dental problem, including about 100 million in the U.S. 

The health of your teeth, gums, and the other tissue in your mouth affects more than your dental health. In fact, it impacts your entire body. Unfortunately, millions of people don’t get regular checkups, and poor oral hygiene can result in many conditions, including toothaches, dental caries (cavities), periodontitis (gum disease), tooth erosion, teeth grinding, and oral cancer.

An essential tool during your dental appointment is the dental X-ray. Let’s examine how this screening tool works, what it can diagnose, and why getting them routinely is so vital to good oral hygiene.

If you live in the Richmond Hill, Georgia, area and you’re struggling with dental problems, Dr. Nils Anderson and his skilled medical team at Village Dental can help.

How dental X-rays work

Also known as dental radiographs, this form of diagnostic screening uses low radiation levels to examine teeth and gums. X-rays are performed as either intraoral (inside your mouth) or extraoral (outside your mouth) tests and look at different angles for specific results, such as:

• Occlusal: This is done with the mouth closed to examine upper and lower jaw alignment and check for abnormalities on either palate.

• Bitewing: With this type, you bite down on a unique paper to examine the alignment of your teeth. It is used to find interdental cavities (between teeth).

• Panoramic: As the name suggests, this type gets a full picture of your upper and lower teeth, which can help plan implants, check jaw issues, and examine wisdom teeth.
• Periapical: This type focuses on up to two teeth. It examines everything from the crown to the root of the tooth to check for dental issues.

Extraoral X-rays are used to check for jaw conditions.

What can dental X-rays diagnose?

We can detect several dental conditions using X-rays, including cavities, infections, impacted or unerupted teeth, bone loss, cysts, tumors, and abscesses. 

Once the condition has been identified, we can also use X-rays to plan treatments like implants, dentures, braces, bone grafting, and root canals.

Why regular screenings are so important

If you have a dental condition, routine X-rays can track the progress of a treatment. The number of X-rays you need will vary (usually annually), but the health of your teeth, age, and history of dental problems can factor into how frequently you get them.

Dental X-rays confirm diagnoses and plan treatment. If you need dental X-rays, make an appointment with Dr. Anderson and his team at Village Dental today.