What Does Your Dentist Look for in Your X-Rays?
A quality dentist will recommend that you have dental X-rays taken approximately once every two years. Dental X-rays can provide insight into the status of your current and future dental health. Therefore, your dental X-rays are kept on file and used throughout your life as a dental roadmap.
- Dental Alignment
Depending on your age, your dentist may be looking at the position of your teeth during an X-ray procedure. Examining your dental alignments helps your dentist determine if you need orthodontic therapy. He or she will also look for any impacted teeth, signs of dental shifting, missing adult teeth, and other dental conditions.
- Signs of Poor Dental Health
The most common feature dentists look for when taking X-rays is dental decay and other oral infections. Nowadays, your dentist can detect minute signs of decay and early stages of gum disease by taking X-rays of the mouth. He or she can also detect root canal infections and some oral tissue infections. This makes X-rays highly effective and beneficial. In most cases, your dentist will order a set of X-rays following a dental cleaning or routine exam. However, you’ll only need to have X-rays taken about every two years, unless dental complications occur.
- Wisdom Tooth Development
Another thing dental health professionals look for when taking X-rays is wisdom tooth development. Often, wisdom teeth grow in sideways, which can put pressure on the molars and incisors, causing dental shifting. Your dentist will want to monitor wisdom tooth development with X-rays to ensure that they are taken out before they cause damage to the surrounding teeth. Sometimes, the wisdom teeth and surrounding oral tissues become infected. Dentist can also detect this with X-ray technology and treat the infection before it causes major discomfort.
If it’s been more than two years since you last had your dental X-rays taken, call Premiere Dental Arts at (301) 662-0222 today. We will recommend that you schedule a dental exam, cleaning, and X-ray series so that we can ensure your teeth are healthy. If you have questions about our practice, visit our website to learn about the services we offer and the technology we use.
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