 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | Our Office | Periodontal Diseases | Reconstructive Surgery | Cosmetic Surgery | Implants | Other | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Daryl E. Malena DDS |
 |
Search | |||||||||||||||||||
|
X-rays,
better known as radiographs in the medical world, are critical to a
proper diagnosis and long range treatment planning. They also are
likely to be required by your insurance carrier who might also name some
stipulations as to what type of X-rays they will accept and how new they
are.
We are happy to use any current X-rays supplied by your dentist. We will duplicate and return them, but often the X-rays used to check for cavities are not useful for diagnosing and treating periodontal problems. We will make a decision about which X-rays you might need at the time of the examination. Fortunately, modern dental X-rays are very safe because the radiograph film has become very "fast" and very little radiation is required to create an excellent picture. Because the insurance company wants a copy, and because your general dentist needs a copy, we make duplicate copies of all X-rays taken in our office. Below is a short course on the types of radiographs used in dentistry. Bitewings are the radiographs typically used by general dentists to find cavities. They are named after the tabs of paper that you bite on to hold the film in place. They are designed to show the potential decay areas on the maximum number of teeth with the minimum number of X-rays. They often do not show any of the bone where periodontal damage occurs. Panographs (actual size about 5 by 11 inches) are frequently used to survey the entire mouth and surrounding structures for pathology, including abscesses and impacted 3rd molars (wisdom teeth). They are excellent for these purposes but cannot be used to find caries (cavities) and show very little of the bone detail that is necessary for advanced periodontal treatment. Periodontal Bitewings are similar to ordinary bitewings but are oriented in a way that shows the bone where periodontal disease causes the most damage. For this reason, many dentists routinely take these on patients that are at risk for periodontal disease. Note that these films do not show the entire bone structure around the roots. Periapical views (actual size 1 1/4 by 1 5/8 inches) show the entire area of bone that surrounds the teeth and usually show at least two teeth on each film. These are necessary to diagnose periodontal disease and root canal problems, but are not needed for most normal maintenance appointments. Full Mouth Series (often abbreviated as FMX) consists of about a dozen periapical films that show overlapping views of every tooth in the mouth. This is a very valuable tool for diagnosis and treatment planning for us and your dentist. This is also the series that your insurance company is likely to want to process your claim. That is why we make copies. Don't worry about the X-ray exposure. It has been compared with the radiation exposure you get flying from New York to Los Angles at 35,000 feet. If you have questions about X-rays, don't hesitate to ask.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
