Dental X Rays
Dental X-Rays at Gulf Coast Health Center
Dental x-rays (radiographs) are an essential part of every individual’s oral wellness. They are an excellent preventative care and diagnostic tool, which can be used to detect oral health problems that are not visible during a visual examination of a patient’s mouth, such as issues below the gum line, in between teeth or inside a tooth. Using x-rays as a normal part of each patient’s wellness routine, our dentists are able to detect developing problems in a patient’s mouth before they become serious and before they cause the patient any pain or discomfort.
What Types of Oral Health Concerns Do Dental X-Rays Reveal?
Dental x-rays reveal oral health problems in children and adults that are not visible to the naked eye, such as:
- Abscesses
- Bone loss
- Cysts
- Decay between the teeth
- Slowly progressing changes in the roots, root canal, bone, teeth and gums
- Developmental abnormalities (alignment and spacing, baby teeth loss rate and wisdom teeth development)
- Problematic tooth or root positioning
- Problems (infection or decay) inside teeth or below the gum lime
- Tumors (cancerous and non-cancerous)
Detecting and treating these types of oral problems before they develop into more serious conditions not only saves patients pain and discomfort, but can also mean the difference between keeping and losing a tooth. In addition, preventative treatments are almost always more cost effective than treating a problem which has had time to progress into a serious medical concern.
Are Dental X-Rays Safe?
We encounter radiation from the sun in our normal environment every single day. The small amount of radiation from dental x-rays happens infrequently and has been shown to be safe. Our dental technicians take extra precautions to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure, using a lead apron to block radiation from the body. In addition, modern digital x-ray imaging has drastically reduced the exposure time required to capture accurate images. This has reduced the amount of radiation exposure which occurs during routine dental x-rays.
When Do You Need Dental X-Rays?
The timing and frequency of dental x-rays depend on each individual patient’s developmental stage, dental concerns and treatment plan. Children whose mouths are still growing and developing might require x-rays more frequently than adults whose teeth positions are relatively fixed. At Gulf Coast Health Center, our dental care providers work with patients to determine the ideal dental x-ray schedule based on their individual needs.
