Let’s talk dental radiographs and updates in dental imaging!

There are a lot of misconceptions about dental radiographs (aka “x-rays”) their required frequency and their necessity!  Let’s break down some common misconceptions and where we are today in the world of dental imaging.

If you had dental imaging prior to 2007, it’s likely that you had dental radiographs that required exposure to various chemicals to develop those images.  Since then, digital radiography has improved the dental imaging experience to eliminate those chemicals and the amount of radiation you are exposed to.  At Longboard Dental, we have invested in state-of-the-art technology that insures safe and effective dental imaging.  Did you know that the standard digital image is now less radiation than you get from eating a banana!

Without dental imaging, we are simply unable to see the health of the teeth and the bone that supports your teeth.  The next example recently walked into our office.  The patient complained, “I have a small chip in my tooth.”  As you can see from the picture, it appears a small part of her tooth was missing.  However, upon taking a dental x-ray, we were able to see that this tooth suffered from a far worse problem—something called resorption!  Her tooth and soft tissue supporting the area had an inflammatory process that was slowly breaking down the inside of her tooth.  Without dental imaging, we would never have been able to properly diagnose her issue.  This patient, left untreated, would have had further damage to her tooth, pain, and even potential loss of the tooth.

Longboard Dental follows the recommendations put forth by the American Dental Association regarding the frequency and type of  dental x-rays prescribed.  Different dental radiographs show different anatomy, everything from overall skeletal growth, jaw pathology and tooth development.  Following these guidelines ensures you are being appropriately diagnosed and comprehensively treated.  Ask Dr. Ellen, in her career, she has seen metastasized cancers, ameloblastomas, multiple myelomas, complex odontomas and supernumerary teeth from dental images that simply would not have been detected without imaging!

If you have questions about dental imaging and how we comprehensively treat all our patients based on imaging recommendations, be sure to give us a call!