{"id":1086,"date":"2020-03-25T16:38:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T16:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/what-are-all-those-x-rays-for\/"},"modified":"2020-03-25T16:38:13","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T16:38:13","slug":"what-are-all-those-x-rays-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/what-are-all-those-x-rays-for\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are All Those X-Rays For?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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JUST ABOUT ANYONE<\/b> who\u2019s been to the dentist has had dental X-rays taken, but how much do you know about the role they play in dental care? Let\u2019s take a quick look at the different types of dental X-rays and what we use them for.<\/p>\n

Seeing Inside Your Teeth: The Value of X-Rays<\/h3>\n

One of the main goals of a dental exam is checking the teeth for any signs of decay or cavities. The earlier the dentist catches these problem areas, the easier they\u2019ll be to treat, but they often aren\u2019t visible to the naked eye in the early stages<\/strong>. There are many crevices between and around teeth and other small spaces that are difficult to see, and obviously we can\u2019t see the inside of teeth at all without some help from technology. That\u2019s where X-rays come in.<\/p>\n

Panoramic X-Rays<\/h3>\n

The panoramic X-ray is the wide shot that lets us see the entire dental arch in one image. It shows not only erupted teeth but also incoming adult teeth<\/strong> and wisdom teeth, which is great for being able to see if there will be enough room for them or if they need some extra help or extraction. Panoramic X-rays also help to identify dental cysts, tumors, and abscesses that develop below the gumline in the dental roots and jaw bones.<\/p>\n

Bitewing X-Rays<\/h3>\n

To get a closer look at an individual region of the dental arch, we use bitewing X-rays. These are the ones where you have to bite down on a piece of plastic to hold the X-ray film in place, then wait for the beep. Normally we\u2019ll take four in total, one for each quadrant of the mouth.<\/strong> These are better than the panoramic shots at showing the gaps between teeth and make it easier to spot cavities and tooth decay.<\/p>\n

Periapical X-Rays<\/h3>\n

If we ever need an extreme close-up of a tooth, we might take a periapical X-ray. These are only necessary when it already looks like there\u2019s a problem with that tooth<\/strong> and we need to see it in greater detail, and we can take these X-rays alongside the bitewings.<\/p>\n