Patient Education

Dental X-Rays

A Little Ray Goes a Long Way

Almost everyone associates a visit to the dentists with receiving x-rays. And despite some exaggerated radiation exposure concerns, the procedure is a safe, helpful means of viewing the inside of your teeth and accompanying oral structures. In fact, the high-speed film used means that minimal ionizing radiation is passed along to the patient --- less than what you'd naturally be exposed to in the atmosphere during about an eight-week period. Of course, our staff removes themselves when taking x-rays to avoid compounding the effect of the many thousands of doses to which they're exposed during the course of a dental career.

Dental radiographs or x-rays provide us with valuable information because while the rays are absorbed by the denser parts of your mouth (i.e. teeth and bone), prior to striking an image on specially prepared radiographic film. Thus, we can see what's going on underneath your teeth and gums, between your teeth, under worn-out fillings and crowns, and around receding bone levels or abscesses. Film packets both inside and outside of your mouth capture this information, revealing cavities and gum disease as dark places on the white teeth and bone images. Not only do x-rays help us troubleshoot dental problems, but they document your dental health status, establishing a baseline from which to monitor changes over time

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