Most of what goes wrong in a mouth is invisible when you look in it. Decay between teeth, infection at the root tip, bone loss from gum disease and cracks below the gum line are all found on images rather than by eye. Imaging is how a small problem gets caught while it is still small.
Digital x-rays
We use digital sensors rather than film. The practical differences matter more than they sound:
Substantially less radiation
A digital sensor needs a fraction of the exposure film required. For context, a set of routine dental x-rays is a small fraction of the background radiation you receive naturally in a year.
The image appears immediately
No developing, no chemicals, no waiting. We can look at it with you while you are still in the chair rather than describing it to you afterwards.
You can see what we see
The image goes on a screen, enlarged. It is much easier to agree on a treatment plan when you can see the reason for it rather than take our word for it.
It is stored and comparable
We can put this year’s image next to one from three years ago and see whether something is changing or stable. That comparison often decides whether to treat or watch.
3D imaging
A standard x-ray is a flat picture of a three-dimensional structure, with everything overlapping. Three-dimensional imaging produces a volume that can be rotated and sliced, so a structure can be seen from any angle and measured accurately.
What it is used for
- Implant planning. Measuring exactly how much bone is available and where the nerve and sinus sit. This is the most common reason to take one.
- Difficult extractions. Seeing root shape and position before the tooth comes out, and how close the roots sit to the nerve.
- Infections and unexplained pain. Some findings simply do not show on a flat image.
- Jaw joint and airway assessment. Relevant to both TMJ evaluation and sleep appliance therapy.
- Impacted teeth. Working out exactly where an unerupted tooth sits and what it is pressing against.
It is not taken routinely. A 3D scan is used when there is a specific question a flat image cannot answer, which keeps exposure appropriate to the reason for taking it.
Intraoral photography
A small camera, roughly the size of a pen, that takes high-resolution photographs inside your mouth. It is not diagnostic in the way an x-ray is, but it is the single most useful tool for showing you what we are talking about. A cracked filling is much easier to understand as a photograph on a screen than as a description.
How often do I need x-rays?
It depends on your risk, not on a fixed schedule. Someone with a history of decay needs them more often than someone with none. Bitewings to check between the teeth are commonly taken every one to two years, and a full set less often than that. We take them when there is a reason.
Modern imaging means less radiation, faster answers, and you being able to see the reason for whatever we recommend.
