By Reno Laser Dentistry
December 10, 2011
Category: dental
Tags: Dentist   Reno   X-ray  

Everyone knows that getting regular dental exams is important for the health of your teeth and gums, but what about getting dental x-rays? Dental x-rays are extremely helpful in detecting oral diseases of the teeth, surrounding gum and bone such as infections in the bone, abscesses, cysts and other abnormalities. X-rays can reveal areas of decay which would normally be invisible on visual inspection.
Thanks to advances in dental technology, digital x-rays require 90% less radiation than older film-based x-ray machines.  The radiation from a complete set of x-rays is extremely small compared to other naturally-occurring sources of radiation such as sunbathing, flying cross country in an airplane or skiing/hiking in the mountains.

A complete set of x-rays is recommended every 3-5 years. Cavity-detecting x-rays (bitewing x-rays) generally should be taken every year.
And just a little bit more information on the importance of x-rays.   Young children especially benefit from this technology. The doctor can evaluate the presence or absence of permanent teeth, eruption pattern and angulation of permanent teeth before they erupt and push the baby teeth out of the mouth.

Since digital X-rays can be considered as preventive and diagnostic care for patients, most insurance policies will usually cover the cost but you should always check with your insurance provider for more information. Dr. McElhinney and his staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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