What a Dental X-Ray Tells Us
As your Warren dentist, we use x-rays for many different purposes. They are an important part of the care we provide you, whether it’s your bi-annual cleaning or something more complex like implants or new dentures. We don’t often talk about what your x-rays tell us, unless you ask, but we are often asked why they are necessary, especially for cosmetic procedures.
Catch Problems Early
Your x-rays are a great tool for us to catch cavities and other damage to your teeth that we may not be able to see or feel. Having early warning of these problems, such as infections, cysts or bone problems, allow us to watch them closely and make minor repairs, like a simple dental filling. Without x-rays, we have to rely on visual cues and the feel of your teeth to determine damages or decay. This may result in more extensive repairs such as crowns, root canal therapy, or implants. X-rays are an essential part of having a healthy mouth and a good dental care routine.
Check Bone Health
Your jaw bones are the structure that support all of your teeth, so keeping it healthy is important. An x-ray will show us if you have damage to your jaw bones. This is also an important part of your annual exams, but it can also give us good information if we are doing a dental implant or designing dentures for your mouth. For an implant to work well and provide you with a strong new tooth, the bone that we attach the implant post to must be healthy and strong. We can use your x-rays to look at your jaw bone and determine the best place to set your implant. The same is true for dentures. We need to make sure the underlying structure will support your new teeth.
Prepare for Cosmetic Work
It’s really helpful for us to know exactly what we are working with when we are providing cosmetic services like veneers. Because porcelain and resin veneers require us to remove a small portion of your existing teeth, your dental x-rays provide us with a road map of sorts for your teeth. A quality set of dental x-rays before a cosmetic procedure will help us protect your natural teeth and ensure that your smile stays healthy.
Healthy Adult Teeth
Dental x-rays are just as important to your child’s dental health as they are for yours. As your child grows, we use their dental x-rays to ensure that their adult teeth are growing properly in their jaw. Dental x-rays can point to potential problems with adult teeth development, or give us an early sign of overcrowding in the mouth. Knowing early if there are concerns with how your child’s smile is developing will allow us to plan for everything from extractions to braces.
Dr. Apsey and the team at Smile Brightly want you to have the best smile possible. That’s why we recommend annual x-rays to help us provide you with the best dental care in the Warren area, and give you the best recommendations for keeping a beautiful smile for life.
For More Information on Dental Services in the Warren, MI Area
If you are looking for a Warren dentist that can provide you with all of your dental needs, from general dentistry to cosmetic procedures, the Smile Brightly team is your best answer. For more information on our services or to schedule an appointment at our Warren dental office, call us today at (586) 573-7700.