The dental X-rays performed at our weekend dentist offices in Salt Lake City, Lehi, and Farmington are a safe and essential tool for detecting hidden issues. They help us diagnose and treat problems early, ensuring your teeth stay healthy and strong.
What Are the Types of Dental X-rays?
There are two main types of dental X-rays your dentist may use: intraoral X-rays, which are taken inside the mouth, and panoramic X-rays, which capture your whole mouth in one image. Each type helps your dentist see different details to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Intraoral Dental X-rays
Intraoral X-rays are taken with the film or sensor placed inside your mouth. They give a close-up look at individual teeth and the surrounding bone. Dentists use them to spot cavities, check tooth roots, and monitor tooth development.
Panoramic Dental X-rays
A panoramic X-ray is taken with a special machine that moves around your head. It shows your entire mouth in one picture, including all your teeth, jaws, and even the sinuses. Panoramic dental X-rays are often used for checking wisdom teeth, planning braces, or evaluating jaw issues.
What Are Digital Dental X-Rays?
Digital X-rays are a more streamlined way of taking dental radiographs. Like traditional X-rays, digital versions provide an in-depth view of the structures of the mouth, helping dentists detect complications and develop effective modes of treatment. Digital X-rays are capable of revealing hidden damage to your teeth, even when decay is hiding beneath restorations.
Requiring less radiation and no film to process, digital X-rays have become the standard for oral imaging. These systems produce instant digital images that can easily be enhanced and enlarged for a more accurate diagnosis. The images are captured, stored, and even transmitted via in-office computers. In fact, dentists can easily print or email copies of X-rays in just seconds.
What Are Dental X-Rays Used For?
Dental X-rays are used to give your dentist a clear view of areas they can’t see during a regular exam. They help detect cavities, check the health of tooth roots and bone, monitor tooth development, and identify issues like infections, impacted teeth, or jaw problems early on. These X-rays help your dentist determine what information to go over with you during your visit.
Are Dental X-rays High in Radiation?
Dental X-rays are not high in radiation. They use very low levels that are often less than what you’re exposed to during a short airplane flight. Modern digital X-rays reduce exposure even more, making them a safe and important tool for protecting your oral health.
Weekend Dental Uses Digital Dental X-rays for Your Convenience
Dental X-rays make for a better and more efficient patient experience. Office visits at our Utah locations are faster, patients are exposed to less radiation, and radiographs can be sent to a specialist for review in a fraction of the time necessary for traditional film X-rays. Schedule your next checkup with Weekend Dental Emergency Care in Salt Lake City, Farmington, and Lehi today.