What is a dental x-ray?
A dental x-ray is a radiograph that we take in order to see all your teeth and the soft and hard tissue of your mouth.
When do dentists take dental x-rays?
Usually, we take dental x-rays once a year. We should do a full mouth x-ray, which means that we should be able to see all your teeth in the x-ray.
What is the purpose of dental x-rays?
The purpose of dental x-rays is to diagnose what's going on in the bone, in your teeth, and everything around your mouth.
What are the different types of dental x-rays and how are they used?
We have different types of dental x-rays. We have something that is called a PA. A PA is a periapical x-ray where we're going to see the tooth and the root of the tooth. Then we have another one that is called bite wings, where we're going to see only the crown of the teeth. The crown of the teeth is pretty much what you see when you open your mouth. Then we have another one that is called a panoramic. A panoramic is going to be one long big x-ray where we're going to see all your teeth together, and most of the time we take them in order to see all your wisdom teeth and to see how they are located and their position. Then we have a new one called CBCT. That is a three-dimensional x-ray, so all the other ones that I talked about before are two-dimensional. This one is three-dimensional, and usually, we take it to see the bone width, the height, and pretty much we use them for dentistry in implants and also to see the roots pretty much of the teeth, so for endodontics.
What do dental x-rays show?
Dental x-rays are going to show the hard bone, any infection, decalcification in your teeth (which means cavities, cavities in between the teeth), and anything that is abnormal. This allows us to diagnose and understand exactly what is going on in your mouth.
Are dental x-rays safe?
Dental x-rays are very safe because we use a very, very small amount of radiation.
Can dental x-rays show periodontal disease?
Dental x-rays can show periodontal disease since we are going to see the level of your bone. Depending on how much bone you have or how much resorption you have, if the bone is shrinking, that means you have periodontal disease.
Are dental x-rays covered by insurance?
Most of the time, dental x-rays are covered by insurance. Even nowadays, the CBCT, the three-dimensional x-rays, are being covered by insurance.
When should I schedule a dental exam?
If you are ready to take action and would like to get an appointment for a dental exam so you can get your x-rays, please give us a call at (954) 419-5944.
Conclusion
I hope I have answered most of your questions about dental x-rays. If you're ready to take action and have an exam with your dental x-rays, which is very important, please give us a call at (954) 419-5944. We are here to help you and give you an appointment.