Digital X-Rays

Dental X-rays are an important way to regularly check on the internal structures of your mouth. X-rays let us examine your jawbone, and help us get a better look at your teeth.

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Intraoral X-rays are taken with the X-ray film inside your mouth. They are the most common type of dental X-ray taken and are used to help us look for cavities, check on developing teeth in children, and let us see the tooth root and surrounding bone.

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There are three different types of intraoral X-rays used:

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• Bite-wing X-rays show both the upper and lower teeth and jawbone in a small region of your mouth. This type of X-ray helps us find decay in between teeth and changes in bone density due to gum disease.
   

• Periapical X-rays are used to check on the roots of teeth and their surrounding bone structure. They show the entire tooth, and most importantly how the root is anchored into the jawbone.
   

• Occlusal X-rays show all of the teeth in either the upper or lower jaw. We can check on tooth development and placement from these X-rays.

 

Extraoral X-rays are X-rays that are taken outside of your mouth. They show teeth, but are used primarily to examine your jawbone structure and your skull. With Extraoral X-rays we can look for impacted teeth, and can monitor the development and growth of your jaw. We use these X-rays to identify and diagnose issues that are related to the jaw if our patients are experiencing chronic headaches or pain.

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There are a few different kinds of Extraoral X-rays we use:

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• Panoramic X-rays show all of your teeth and your upper and lower jaws in one image. We use these X-rays to look at the positioning of your teeth and to identify impacted teeth and tumors.

X-rays are an important part of regular check ups. With X-rays, we can solve problems before they begin, and ensure that your smile is healthy and developing properly.