If you have visited the dentist in the past, chances are you have had dental x-rays taken. These x-rays give the dental professionals a lot of information about your teeth, gums, and jaw bone that they may not have seen with their eyes.
Dental x-rays are very useful and safe. Nowadays digital x-rays are replacing traditional f
ilm x-rays and we know they emit about 80% less radiation than the traditional film X-rays. This amount of radiation emitted by digital x-rays is extremely low and harmless.
It is important for patients to know that the amount of radiation from a series of digital x-rays is less than the amount that they are exposed to by the Earth, appliances, and the sun in one day naturally. Our office also records patient X-rays and has them saved in the chart so we never will unnecessary expose patients to x-rays that can be avoided.
Since the x-rays are digital they come up immediately on the screen. This saves loads of time for dental professionals as well as for patients. For these reasons, at Dr. Ken Cirka, Dr. Mimi Jeon, and Dr. Stephanie Smith’s office, we are only using digital x-rays.
There are two different forms of x-rays, intraoral and extraoral. In one case, intraoral x-rays, the dental professional is looking at the health of the teeth, gums, roots, and the jaw bone holding the teeth in place. For the extraoral x-ray, the
focus is more on larger elements of the face and jaw bones.
This includes the temporomandibular joint “TMJ,” the sinus, impacted wisdom teeth, growth and development, jaw fractures, and more.
Depending on your health and dental history, the frequency of when we are taking x-rays may change. X-rays are a vital, important diagnostic tool that confirm whether or not there are harmful bacteria hiding in the teeth, under the gums, or even on the roots of the teeth. The earlier that the dental professional can identify a problem, the easier it will be to fix it for both you as the patient and for the dentist. Without dental x-rays, problems will get increasingly worse and tougher to treat. In some cases these problems will also negatively affect your complete health and well-being.
Be sure to talk to your dentist about dental x-rays if you have questions at your next check-up and cleaning. If you are searching for a dentist in the greater Philadelphia area you can call to schedule your free consultation with Dr. Ken Cirka, Dr. Mimi Jeon, and Dr. Stephanie Smith at 215-568-6222 so they can help you. We look forward to meeting you soon!
