Digital XRays

Dental X-rays

Dental X-rays can help us detect oral health issues, like cavities and gum disease, before they worsen. Dental X-rays are essential to proper oral health and maintenance.

People with healthy teeth and gums usually need new X-rays every year. But you might need more frequent X-rays if you’re prone to cavities or gum disease. Ask your dentist how often you should get X-rays to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

What are dental X-rays?

Dental X-rays (radiographs) are internal images of your teeth and jaws. Dentists use X-rays to examine structures they can’t see during a routine checkup, like your jawbone, nerves, sinuses and teeth roots.

How do dental X-rays work?

Like X-rays taken in other parts of your body, dental X-rays use electromagnetic radiation to capture images of your mouth. The radiation beam passes through your soft tissues and creates images of your teeth and bones.

Dental X-rays may be traditional (taken with film) or digital (taken with digital sensors and a computer). Digital dental X-rays use 80% to 90% less radiation compared to traditional dental X-ray machines.

What can dental X-rays detect?

Dental X-rays help your dentist diagnose a wide range of oral health issues.

Dental X-rays show:

• Cavities, especially small areas of decay between teeth.
• Decay beneath existing fillings.
• Bone loss in your jaw.
• Areas of infection.
• The position of unerupted or impacted teeth.
• Abscessed teeth (infection at the root of your tooth or between your gums and your tooth).
• Cysts and some types of tumors.

Dentists also use X-rays to help determine your eligibility for treatments like dental implants, braces or dentures. X-rays help your dentist check healing after certain procedures, too, such as dental bone grafts and root canal therapy.

Are dental X-rays safe?

The radiation risk from a dental X-ray is quite small.

Should I have dental X-rays while pregnant?

Generally speaking, it’s safe to have X-rays of your teeth while pregnant or breastfeeding. Even so, most dentists avoid taking X-rays during pregnancy unless it’s absolutely necessary.