Dental x-rays help with a variety of things, allowing a dentist, orthodontist, or other dental professional to get a look inside your mouth they wouldn’t be able to find doing an exam alone. Here are 5 ways dental x-rays help your dentist plan your treatment, and execute it more effectively.
1. Determining Decay
Dental X-Rays help determine the extent and location of decay in your teeth, guiding your dentist in determining how extensive or minor decay may be, and allowing the dentist to discuss a treatment plan with you before beginning any treatment of tooth decay.
2. Placing Implants, or Preparing for Dentures
If a dentist requires information for placing an implant, a dental x-ray can help determine the density of the bone and give the dentist a clearer idea of where to place an implant.
Dental x-rays help with preparing for dentures also, giving important information about your mouth and jaw that can aid in a more effective denture fit.
3. Planning for Braces
Dental x-rays are an important part of an orthodontic consult, giving the orthodontist a look at the placement of teeth, and a deeper look at the more foundational causes of any orthodontic needs. This assists in planning teeth straightening with knowledge that can only be found through x-rays.
4. Determining Treatment
As mentioned before, depending on the type of treatment or how much a dentist is able to see through examination, a dental x-ray can help a dentist see much more than they can find just by looking at your teeth. This aids in giving the dentist a total picture of anything they may need to plan how to best resolve treatment and inform you of how they will meet your needs.
5. If Teeth are Developing Properly
For earlier orthodontic consults, younger children who need examinations, dental x-rays help a dentist determine how and where teeth are developing, roughly when they may come in, or if there is any issue with how teeth are developing, or whether or not an injury has affected undeveloped adult teeth.
Call our Lubbock Dental Office to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.