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Dental x-rays provide valuable information that helps your dentist in Rochester properly evaluate your oral health. With the help of digital x-rays, your dentist can look at what is happening beneath the surface of your teeth and gums. The recent advancements in technology allow for the elimination and decreased exposure to radiation through digital x-rays. If you have any questions about your dental x-ray exam, talk to your Rochester dentist today for more information. What are Digital X-Rays? Digital dental x-rays are pictures of the teeth, bones, and soft tissues around them to help find problems with the teeth, mouth, and jaw. They are a new method that is used in some dental offices, and utilize a small sensor unit to send pictures to a computer to be recorded and saved. Digital x-rays can show cavities, hidden dental structures, and bone loss that cannot be seen during a visual examination. They may also be done as a follow-up after dental treatments. The following types of digital x-rays are commonly used, with decreased amounts of radiation: * Bite-wing x-rays to show the upper and lower back teeth and how the teeth touch each other in a single view. These x-rays are used to check for decay between the teeth and to show how well the upper and lower teeth line up.
* Periapical x-rays show the entire tooth, from the exposed crown to the end of the root and the bones that support the tooth. These x-rays are used to find dental problems below the gum line or in the jaw, such as impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts, tumors, and bone changes linked to some diseases.
* Occlusal x-rays show the roof or floor of the mouth and are used to find extra teeth, teeth that have not yet broken through the gums, jaw fractures, a cleft in the roof of the mouth, cysts, abscesses, or growths.
* Panoramic x-rays show a broad view of the jaws, teeth, sinuses, nasal area, and temporomandibular (jaw) joints. Why are X-Rays Needed? Dental x-rays are often performed to:
* Find problems in the mouth such as tooth decay, damage to the bones supporting the teeth, and dental injuries such as broken tooth roots. Dental x-rays are used to find these problems early, before any symptoms are present.
* Find teeth that are not in the right place or do not break through the gum properly.
* Plan treatment for large or extensive cavities, root canal surgery, placement of dental implants, and difficult tooth removals.
* Plan treatment of orthodontics
* Check for the location of permanent teeth growing in the jaw in children who still have their primary teeth.
* Find cysts, solid growths, or abscesses. Without digital x-rays, dentists may miss the early stages of decay between teeth. With recent advancements in dentistry, dentists can now offer safer dental care with decreased radiation exposure and increased results.
Contact your Rochester dentist today for more information on digital x-rays for decreased, if not eliminated, radiation. With digital x-rays, your dentist can provide superior care by finding dental problems before they worsen.
Sean Hartmen writes for leading Rochester cosmetic dentist, Dr. Phyllis Indianer. Dr. Indianer has been in dental health for 25 years and is a native of Southeastern Michigan. Infection control and the use of local dental laboratories are a top priority for this cosmetic dentist in Rochester.
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