Dental x-rays forms a back bone for the diagnosis and treatment planning in the field of dentistry. without xrays one cannot imagine doing some routine dental procedures. as technology has taken a space in our life dental radiographs has also evolved from 2D to 3D. one who is a regular visitor in a dental clinic or have undergone any kind of root canal or any orthodontic treatment must be aware of this. but the question that comes in mind is - do we really need it? how often we need it? what are they and how helpful are they? is it safe?
all these questions of yours will be answered here.
DENTAL X-RAYS- what is it actually???
dental xrays are the images that are taken with the help of exposure to any radiation device. conventionally it was taken on a film but as technology has advanced it is now a days gone digital. there are a lot of advantages of going digital. these are
1. the exposure to radiation is much low. the amount of radiation exposure is approximately 80% less in case of digital radiographs.
2. it can help us with telemedicine.
3. easy to transfer and keep.
technology has also gone from 2D to 3D. the advantages of these are-
1. any teeth or bone can be evaluated from inside out, or from any side.
2. better understanding of adjacent contacting surface.
Dental radiographs are routinely needed in clinic because they help us in visualiing that is unseen from naked eye. it helps us visualize bone, teeth, adjacent structure. and helps in diagnosis as qwell as treatment planning.
TYPES OF RADIOGRAPHS USED IN DENTAL...
they can be 2D or 3D as discussed earlier.
they can be on film or digital as discussed earlier.
they can be intra oral and extra oral.
INTRA ORAL - taken for a 3-4 set of teeth. they gives the precise detail of structure in and around teeth.
EXTRA ORAL - taken routinely for orthodontic patients to check for any growth, bony defects, proclination of teeth.
For any trauma or any lesions.
DO I REALLY NEED IT??
sometimes that is not visible by nake deye. dental x rays help in visualizing that thing. they help in more precise work to be done.
HOW OFTENLY DO I NEED THEM?
although we at Dr.dentiste doesnot do it unneccessarily but we recommend getting it done once a year to rule out ant pathology.
ARE THEY SAFE??
the amount of exposure in a full set of dental radiograph is less then 0.005mSv. or i can say that is much less then what we get daily from natural resouces like environment or from a short airplane trip. however we at dr.dentiste uses personel monitoring devices to check for the amount of exposure . and get it evaluated by atomic energy board on a regular basis.
TALK TO YOUR DENTIST....
although it depends on the condition but one is always free to decide whether he or she want to go for it or not. but what we believe is that this should be baesd on the decision of the dentist. in acse of any doubt you can contact us at our clinic.