Dental x-rays are an essential part of your overall dental health.  X-rays are pictures of your teeth, bone, jaw, and soft tissues surrounding your teeth.  There are several types of x-rays, or pictures, that we may take that include bitewings, periapicals (also known as PAs), and a panoramic x-ray (also known as a PAN).  One important thing that you, as a patient, should know is that all of our x-rays are digital.  Digital x-rays are sent directly to your digital chart and are saved as part of your dental record.  Benefits of digital x-rays include less radiation, shorter dental appointments, and higher quality images.

Here is why we take x-rays:

• Dental x-rays enable us, your dentist, to look for decay between your teeth.  Sometimes decay isn't visble to the naked eye and exsists in areas the dentist cannot see.  Detecting this decay through x-rays and routine cleanings and exams at the early stage of the decay can prevent it from growing bigger and spreading to nearby healthy teeth.

• Dental x-rays can assist us to check for bone loss associated with gum disease.  In this situation an x-ray can show the degree of bone loss.

• X-rays can help us check for decay under fillings and crowns.  Decay under fillings and crowns can occur sometimes.  An x-ray is the only way to detect this kind of decay.

• X-rays will allow for us to look for infection at the tip of the tooth root.  In this case, a periapical x-ray will need to be taken.  Infections can appear at the very bottom of the tooth.  An x-ray is the only way for a dentist to confirm that there is infection present.  This will also allow for the dentist to treat the infection as he/she sees fit.

• A dental x-ray allows the dentist to examine the area before each dental procedure.  Dentists need a full view of the teeth and bone before a procedure such as a filling, extraction, crown, ect. An x-ray before a procedure will show a "map" of the decay.

• A panoramic x-ray, also known as a PAN, will shows us an overall look at a patients mouth.  A PAN allows the dentist to see impacted teeth (wisdom teeth are the most common), a look at your joint, bone, and nasal sinuses, and any cysts inside your mouth.  This particular x-ray is taken every 3-5 years and will allow for us, as your dentist, to provide you with the best pissible care and to keep your dental record current.

     Each x-ray that a dentist takes, or will take, is a vital part of a petients dental health and will aid the dentist in diagnosing anything that is going on inside a patients mouth.  Without a dental x-ray the dentist will not be able to effectively treat each patient.  Each dental x-ray seves a very imporant purpose for each patients dental record and their treatment.