Why Do I Need Dental X-rays So Often?
As a Dentist, most people think that the biggest sighs and complaints you can get is when someone is told they have a cavity or need to get a crown replaced. But oddly enough, it seems the most dreaded part of visiting the dentist is when you’re told its time for another round of x-rays.
While x-rays may seem like the easiest part of a dentist visit (okay – for some…don’t get us wrong, we know it’s not great for those of you with sensitive gag-reflexes), we’ve noticed it is by far one of the most lamented parts of your regular cleaning.
Oftentimes people ask us, “But didn’t I just do them last time I was here?” So, the hard truth of the matter is – yes, most likely you did. But last time, was most likely a year ago.
Why You Need Regular X-Rays
While you may have gotten x-rays taken of your teeth at your last visit, what you may not have noticed is that we don’t get to see you all that often. Typically, the average person comes in for a routine cleaning only once a year (though, we highly recommend getting your cleanings done every six months or every 3-4months if you have signs of gum disease). And as it happens, a lot can happen to your teeth in a year.
It’s important for us to get a detailed look at your teeth annually to check for signs of cavities, scan for infections, and thoroughly examine the health of your teeth – from root to tip.
In order to get the best picture of your mouth’s health – we need great images. To do that, we use a few different kinds of x-ray pictures (hence all the biting, pausing, waiting for the beep, re-adjusting and repeating).
The Types of X-Rays Taken at The Dentist Office
At Willow Spring Family Dentistry, we take a few key types of X-Ray images each year to get a fully robust picture of your oral health. Here’s a full rundown of what we’re doing and what we’re looking for:
- Panoramic Images: These images let us look at both your top and bottom teeth and your temporomandibular We look at the location of wisdom teeth, and how they may be impacting the other structures in your mouth. And we’re also using these images to scan for any cystsand/or lesions.
- Bite Wing Images: help us to see in between your teeth to check for cavities. It also shows us signs of bone loss that may be due to gum disease.
At our offices, we also like to work with the most modern technologies – that’s why we use a Nomad Pro 2 – a portable X-ray machine to make things easier on you and speeds up the entire process of x-ray imaging – allowing you to hop out of that chair and back to your day.
