Sometimes, when going to see the dentist, they will recommend taking an x-ray of your teeth in order to get a better view of your oral health.
Dental x-rays play a huge role in oral care, as they will allow the dentist to fully assess a patient’s condition. But when you don’t feel any pain, and your teeth don’t seem to have cavities, is it really necessary to go through a dental x-ray?
Keep reading to find out the answer!
Some dental issues may be hiding just beneath the surface. In other words, a visual inspection of your teeth may not lead to any apparent oral health issues, but a dental x-ray could potentially reveal them.
Dental x-rays can show cavities, infections, cracks, and other issues that affect your teeth and even surrounding bone. Sometimes, even if the problems are visible, your dentist could still recommend getting an x-ray so that they can see the full extent of the damage.
Without x-rays, the dentist will either go in blind or completely miss dental issues that need addressing. This could have severe consequences for your oral health in the long term.
An x-ray machine will produce narrow beams of x-ray photons, which pass through the body and capture images of your teeth and jaw on a special film or digital sensors.
Sometimes, the dentist can recommend taking an x-ray of the entire mouth, or they may only need to capture certain parts of it that are already showing some worrying signs.
Dental x-rays are perfectly safe when done by a trained professional in the right setting. For starters, your dentist will recommend getting an x-ray only when it’s truly necessary to confirm suspicions or gain a better view of your oral health if you haven’t had any dental care in years.
Dental x-rays are not an every-appointment type of procedure. One concern most patients have with them is the radiation they can give off. After all, seeing your dentist completely leave the room before the x-ray is taken doesn’t instill much confidence.
But the level of radiation given is very small, which minimizes the risk of potential side effects. Moreover, before getting the x-ray the dentist may ask you a few questions to clear you for the test.
For instance, if you’ve recently had another x-ray done, the dentist may choose to skip this test for the time being.
X-rays are nothing to worry about. They can play a huge role in protecting or restoring your oral health.
If you are dealing with dental damage, Dr. Jason Simms and Dr. Anh Simms are here to help you access expert and compassionate oral health care that can restore your smile.
To get started, schedule a visit at Z Dentistry online, or call us at (225) 286-3921.
