Finding and treating dental disease early can help you to preserve your natural teeth. Your dentist can detect many of the symptoms of oral disease just by looking into your mouth. X-ray examinations can detect conditions that aren't as obvious but can pose a threat to your oral health.
For example:
small cavities, especially between the teeth, show up on x-rays long before they can be seen by the naked eye. If found early, decay can be treated at once, preserving the structure of the tooth.
large cavities are more easily repaired if an x-ray has been taken ahead of time, because the dentist can see how far the decay has spread before beginning the work.
an x-ray often makes it possible to locate decay under old fillings.
x-rays can be used to detect the presence of an abscess. An abscess is an infection at the root of a decayed tooth.
impacted teeth, cysts, tumours and retained roots may be brought to your dentist's attention through x-ray examination.
You may have heard or read statements that question the safety of the x-rays used for dental examinations. The amount of radiation involved with modern dental x-rays is very small. Dentists and members of the dental team in Alberta have been trained in the proper use of x-rays for diagnostic purposes. This training includes safety education to prevent patients from being exposed to unnecessary radiation.
Although modern x-rays are very targeted and have very little measurable risk, pregnant women should delay x-ray examination until after the pregnancy. If delaying is not possible, a lead apron should be worn over the abdominal area to protect the developing fetus from scatter radiation.
If you have questions or concerns about having dental x-rays, discuss them with your dentist before having an x-ray done.
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