Dental Radiographs / Dental X-Rays
Dental Radiographs are more commonly known as x-rays and an important part of any dental treatment. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort a dental x-ray will help the dentist diagnose the problem. Dental x-rays can also be preventative too, by helping the dentist diagnose early stages of decay or leaking within existing fillings before they become problematic.
Preventative x-rays are to be taken every 2 years as recommended by the Australian Dental Association. Doing this allows the dentist to see the overall health and wellbeing of all your teeth and other areas that are not visible to the naked eye. Your dentist will always keep you informed if a dental x-ray is at all required.
Intraoral X-Ray
An intraoral x-ray is the most common type of radiograph required in dentistry, as they show a high level of detail to the tooth, bone and supporting tissue of the mouth. This type of x-ray allows the dentist to:
- Check for cavities
- Check the health of the bone area around the tooth
- See the status of developing teeth
- Monitor mouth and teeth injuries
- Detect problems that cannot be seen with a visual exam
- Diagnose cavities in between teeth that are touching each other
This dental x-ray is an example of a “bitewing” x-ray showing some molar and premolar teeth. A bitewing is a type of “intra-oral” x-ray, meaning the film is placed inside the patient’s mouth.
Panoramic X-Ray
Another type of x-ray we often ask our patients to have done is a panoramic x-ray. We refer to this as a full mouth x-ray as it shows the entire mouth on a single x-ray. This includes all teeth and bone of your upper and lower jaw. This type of x-ray allows the dentist to:
- Check the health of the bony area around the tooth
- Determine if periodontal disease is an oral care issue
- See how your child’s teeth are erupting (coming into the mouth)
- See if there are any missing teeth or extra teeth with children or young adults
- See the status of developing teeth in both children and adults
- See the number, size and position of teeth that are still inside the gums
- Prepare for braces and other orthodontic treatment
- Monitor mouth and teeth injuries
- Detect problems that cannot be seen with a visual exam
- An overview of the position of wisdom teeth
