Dental X-Rays
Dental X-Rays in Parker, CO
Dental X-rays, also called radiographs, help your dentist and dental hygienist see problems with your teeth, bones, and tissues. These important images help Signature Smiles Dentistry in Parker, CO find problems before they become worse, so you gain early treatment. Your X-rays also aid in treatment planning for helping you enjoy your healthiest and most attractive smile.
X-rays in your dentist’s office use energy that passes through your soft oral tissues, being absorbed by denser tissues like teeth and bones. Two main types of dental X-rays include intraoral and extraoral. Intraoral x rays take create images inside your mouth, while extraoral x rays take images outside of your mouth. Intraoral x rays provide the most commonly needed dental X-rays in Parker, Colorado, capturing images of your cavities, tooth roots, bony areas around teeth, gum disease, developing teeth, and general dental health.
Benefits of Dental X-Rays
Dental X-rays suit a wide range of needs and provide many benefits. Among the benefits are diagnosing dental problems early, such as tooth decay, gum disease, and infections. These images also enable your dentist to see the inside of your tooth and parts of the tooth and bones beneath your gums.
Your Signature Smiles Dentistry dentist or dental hygienist orders X-rays depending on your specific needs. Most of your imaging for dental services take place in the dentist’s office. Sometimes you undergo treatment by a specialist, in which case that treatment provider possibly takes their own X-rays.
For your X-ray images, the dental professional places a heavy lead apron around you to protect your body from potential, yet low grade, radiation. Inserting a piece of plastic in your mouth, the X-ray technician asks you to bite down to hold the film in place. The technician takes images of the targeted region of your mouth. All of this takes only moments in the dentist’s office.
Depending on your exact needs, the dental X-ray technician takes multiple images from various positions to show your entire mouth, jaw bone, and all teeth. Newer methods using digital X-rays in Parker, Colorado provide different image types with much less radiation.
Common Types of Dental X-Rays
Some of the most common X-rays performed in your dentist’s office include periapical, bite-wing, panoramic and occlusal images. Each of these serves their own purpose and help with specific problems, treatments or diagnoses.
Periapical dental X-rays provide clear views of your entire tooth. These images show the tooth from its bite surface, the crown, to bones that support and hold it in place.
Bite-wing X-Rays provide your dentist with a view of both lower and upper back teeth. Through these images, your dentist sees how your teeth touch each other. He also sees whether decay exists between your back teeth.
Panoramic X-rays show views beyond just your teeth. These images also reveal the health and conditions of your jaws, nasal area, jaw joints, and sinuses. Your dentist takes these radiographs when you need specialized treatments like orthodontic care.
Occlusal X-rays provide unobstructed views of the floor of your mouth. This helps the dentist evaluate your bite, specifically the upper and lower jaw. Your dentist also uses these images to see children’s tooth development. Using occlusal imaging he sees both primary teeth and permanent ones.
Do I Need Dental X-Rays?
Most people undergo dental X-rays when visiting a new dentist. Dentists also need these images on an annual, biannual or less frequent basis, depending on your treatment needs. So you can expect to receive dental X-rays in Parker, Colorado at Signature Smiles Dentistry from time to time. Other important dental services in Parker, CO provided by your Signature Smiles Dentistry team include:
To gain the best possible insight into your oral health and dental treatment needs, turn to Signature Smiles Dentistry in Parker, CO for dental X-rays. Contact Signature Smiles Dentistry now at 720-722-3792 to schedule your first visit.