Why We Take X-Rays

Simply put, the reason we take dental X-rays is because they are critical for detecting, diagnosing, and treating dental problems unseen by the human eye.

X-rays enable us to:

  • Detect cavities between your teeth, in your teeth, and beneath existing fillings, crowns, and bridges

  • See the formation and growth of teeth in children

  • Determine your bone level, including bone loss from periodontal disease, and analyze the health of your bone

  • Determine if you’re a candidate for implants and see the placement of existing implants

  • See your wisdom teeth—how they’re forming, how many you have, how they’re positioned, and if they’re impacted in bone or partial bone

  • Examine the roots and nerves of teeth

  • See your sinus cavities for possible infections

  • Diagnose lesions such as cysts and tumors

  • Assess possible damage when trauma occurs

We use only high-quality digital X-rays, which allows us to see everything instantly and in much greater detail than with X-rays of the past that required developing time, chemicals, and film. Exposure time for digital imaging uses a fraction of the radiation of traditional film.

For most patients, we recommend taking X-rays annually at one of your cleaning appointments. Underlying dental problems that have no symptoms can develop over the course of months.

Particularly for patients who have implants, crowns, bridges, or a history of periodontal disease, we need to be able to see and evaluate the health of your teeth below the gum line.

For new patients, we recommend a full series of X-rays (or bitewings and a panoral) in order to establish a baseline and evaluate your overall dental health.

If you’ve had a recent full-mouth series or panoral taken at a previous dental office, we can typically have those emailed to us and not have to repeat the X-rays at your first visit.

Your oral health is our goal. X-rays are an essential tool for helping us achieve that goal!