Do I Really Need Dental X-Rays As An Adult?

You are well into adulthood; you don’t get cavities often, and you certainly don’t have new teeth erupting anymore. So is getting dental x-rays really necessary? Absolutely! Dental x-rays clue your dentist into multiple aspects of your oral health, beyond decay and emerging permanent teeth.

First, there are different types of x-rays to show specific angles of your mouth, including bitewings and panoramic images. If you don’t have a history of gum disease, X-rays aren’t typically required at every checkup, but you can count on them every couple of years or when your dentist is suspicious about a certain issue. We don’t want too much time to pass before we take a look under your gums and into your teeth structures.

Dental x-rays reveal the following oral health concerns that may otherwise go undetected by a visual exam or probing:

• Abscesses
• Small areas of decay
• Bone loss in the jaw
• Injury to tooth roots
• Sinus problems
• Potential cancerous growths
• Impacted wisdom teeth

When caught early on a dental x-ray, the above oral health issues can be treated more conservatively and more effectively. In fact, dental imaging can help you avoid painful or disruptive symptoms of a dental problem because we can address it at an earlier stage.

Dental x-rays offer invaluable information towards your oral health with minimal sacrifice to your time and comfort. In fact, getting a dental x-ray is painless. At Mitzi Morris DMD, we use digital imaging instead of traditional x-ray film. This means that your x-rays can be acquired comfortably and immediately viewed on a computer screen for a quicker and more accurate diagnosis.