Everyone who has visited a dental clinic for one or the other oral problem is definitely familiar with dental X-rays. At times patients get worried about the possible adverse effects of x-rays. Some question if they’re necessary every time a patient visits a dental clinic.
Sandalwood Smiles, the best dental services in Brampton, vouches to answer the common queries related to dental x-rays. We’ll tell you why dental x-rays are important to successfully cure dental ailments.
What are dental x-rays?
Dental x-rays or radiographs is an important diagnostic procedure that allows to get to the core of the problem and formulate an effective treatment strategy. The underlying principle is the same as of the x-ray technique used for larger bones. A controlled burst of x-ray radiation is passed through the oral structures to be radiographed which falls on a photographic film which records the findings. However, unlike x-rays of other parts of body, dental x-ray is an amalgamation of many views. Since the oral cavity is small and round, this is necessary.
Intraoral radio-graphs are preferred over extra-oral radio-graphs as the former are more useful in aiding proper diagnosis of any dental problem, while the latter may just inform of the dental, mandibular or maxillary fractures.
Why dental x-rays are important?
Dental radiographs are important to expose the dental afflictions that may go unnoticed during a physical examination of oral cavity. Cavities, infection, and other dental ailments cause changes in teeth density which is recorded on the photographic film. This change in density is what leads the dentist to the underlying problem. A tooth may look perfectly normal on the outside but might be rotting on the inside. And there’s only one way to know, dental radiographs.
These days, the photographic film is being replaced by electronic sensors that eliminate the need to retake a certain view. Technology is getting more advanced in this field to reduce time consumption and patient inconvenience.
Are these safe?
Absolutely. The fact that many views are taken in a single sitting may scare the patients into believing that they’re exposed to a great amount of radiation. The truth is that the radiation dosage used for dental radio graphs is relatively small, about 0.150 ms v for a Full Mouth View (FM V). The exposure is further reduced by the use of lead thyroid collar or a lead apron.
It was earlier believed that dental radio graphs should be avoided in post-irradiated patients with neck and head cancer. But a recent study failed to establish dental x-rays as a contraindication in the above mentioned case.
Take home message
Diagnostic procedures are different for different dental ailment. To know what’s wrong on the inside, a dental radio graph is a must. If you have any doubts or queries regarding undergoing this procedure, you can talk to the best dentists in Brampton, currently working at Sandalwood Smiles.