Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Dental X-rays
Digital radiographs — or modern dental X-rays — are something that most dentists take on their patients about once a year or so, as is the standard of care. Some types of X-rays are needed for specific diagnosis of teeth in certain areas, others are for screening for decay in places you can’t see during an exam, and then there are the ones that are for a broad overview of your entire mouth.
Yet, a lot of people decline getting X-rays because they’re concerned about the radiation used to take them. Fortunately, our Port Melbourne dentists have digital technology that lowers the levels of radiation by as much as 90% compared to X-rays used a couple of decades ago. The levels are so low that you’ll be exposed to more radiation simply by spending a few hours out at the beach.
No matter how much experience your dentist has, they can’t see into a tooth or under the gums without an X-ray. Having intermittent radiographs taken can help diagnose new issues with your oral health well before they become complex (and more expensive to treat.)
Here are just a few examples of conditions that are diagnosed on X-rays:
- Bone loss
- Wisdom tooth impaction
- Missing teeth
- Cysts or tumours
- Abscessed teeth
- Fractured roots
- Broken jaws
- Cavities between teeth or in the crown
- Bone density (for implants)
Not all X-rays show the same thing. If you had “bitewings” taken last year (to check for decay where your teeth touch side by side) but our Port Melbourne dentists suspect an abscess, a different periapical film will be needed to see around the tip of the root.
At PMD Dental Care, we put our patients’ health and safety first. We only utilize low-radiation digital X-rays when necessary for maintaining the healthiest smile possible!