health}x-rays
Dental X-Rays what we're really looking for by Dr. John F. Miller DDS
It’s that time of year again. Memories of our amazing Montana winter bittersweet, and yearnings for summer impatient. I appreciate all of your beautiful and bright Montana smiles joining mine out there on the slopes this past winter. I make an effort every winter to take my snowboard somewhere new, and whether its Squaw Valley, Austria, or Park City, nowhere puts together a total package of great people, charm, and conditions better than Montana. I keep my mouth shut however, in my attempts at becoming a true local I’ve learned the unspoken rule that we keep our treasure secret. Your mouth is also full of secrets. Most of these secrets are not visible to the human eye. As an Oral Health Care Provider, I have a valuable tool in the form of dental radiography (x-rays). These images allow me to complete an accurate and detailed assessment of my patient’s oral condition. In fact, a patient’s x-rays tell the majority of their story and it would be impossible to
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provide high-quality dentistry without them. If you have read my column before you know that I like my audience to be well informed on dental topics and potential investments that they might make concerning their own oral health. The routine dental patient typically receives some type of dental x-ray every year. So let’s get to the business of producing well-informed readers on the topic of dental x-rays. How is an X-Ray image produced? Don’t worry, I’ll be brief. Electromagnetic radiation, not unlike visible light, at a specific energy wavelength is called an X-Ray. X-rays differ from visible light in that they can penetrate the soft tissues of our bodies. An X-Ray image called a radiograph is produced using an X-Ray sensor and an X-Ray producing source. In the case of dentistry, the teeth and supporting tissues is placed between the X-Ray source and
the X-Ray sensor. When an X-Ray reaches the sensor it produces a dark spot, as a result harder objects such as teeth and bone appear white on a radiograph because they block more X-Rays than the surrounding softer tissue (lips and gums). Even within the tooth itself one can see the difference between enamel (the hardest tissue in the human body) and the less dense underlying dentin.
other words, without bitewing x-rays these cavities would likely not be identified before it was too late. Bitewings are also used to evaluate the bone health around the teeth and identify hardened plaque deposits below the gumline.
Types of Dental X-Rays
The Periapical X-Ray: The What: A periapical radiograph shows the entire tooth from the crown to the end of the root including the surrounding bone.
The Bitewing X-Ray: The What: A bitewing x-ray shows the upper and lower back teeth and how they contact each other in a single view. The Why: Bitewings allow the dentist to identify cavities between teeth (the area where you would floss...you are flossing right?). The contact area between teeth is the most common location to develop tooth decay. These cavities are not visible in the mouth. In
The When: Taken at the patient’s initial visit and then once per year following that.
The Why: Periapical radiographs provide detailed images below the gumline and in the jaw. While the most common pathologic finding in periapical radiographs are dental root infections (abscesses), other common findings include impacted teeth, cysts, tumors, and bone changes associated with gum disease.