Technology

Digital X-Rays

X-rays help diagnose any problems under the surface or around the foundations of the teeth.

Digital X-rays are sent directly to a computer and can be viewed on screen, stored or printed.

There are several benefits of using this technology, including:

• less radiation and no wait time for the X-rays to develop – the images are available on screen seconds after being taken
• the image can be enhanced and enlarged, making it easier for your dentist to see the problem
• images can be electronically sent to another dentist or specialist (if necessary)

There are two main types of dental X-rays:

Intraoral (meaning the X-ray is taken from inside the mouth) and

Extraoral (meaning the X-ray is taken from outside the mouth)

Intraoral X-rays

Intraoral X-rays are the most common type of dental X-ray taken and provide a lot of detail which allows your dentist to find cavities, check the health of the tooth root and surrounding bone, check developing teeth and monitor your general oral health.

Extraoral X-rays

Extraoral X-rays show teeth but their main focus is the jaw and skull. 

These X-rays do not provide the detail found with intraoral x-rays and therefore are not used for detecting cavities or for identifying problems with individual teeth.

Instead, extraoral X-rays are used to look for impacted teeth, monitor development of the jaw, and to identify potential problems between teeth and jaw and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or other bones of the face.

*Note: Pregnant women should not have X-rays unless in emergencies.