Smile Specialist

X-rays and Dental Radiographs used in Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry involving all Tooth Implants, mini Implants, immediate Dental Implants, Crowns, Bridges, Veneers, Precision Dentures, Tooth Bleaching, Teeth Whitening, Cosmetic Bonding, Latest Ceramic Restorations, Second Opinions, Smile Profiling, Gum Diseases, Tooth wear and worn, uneven teeth, Periodontal Plastic Surgery, TMJ's, Difficult Occlusions, Excessive Wear Cases, Root canal treatment, Trauma and Emergencies; Anxious or Nervous Patients welcome too!

Please note: Disclaimer - All information on this site is purely for general interest only - you should always seek external "independent" advice before acting upon ANYTHING published on this site. Thankyou.

What are X-rays?

X-rays are ionising radiation that can pass through human bodies and make an image (picture) on radiographic film. In Dentistry, this is useful to look underneath teeth and gums, where the Dentist cannot normally see. Dental Radiographs can be small films in the mouth, or larger films that are taken outside the mouth, such as OPG's. Although the X-ray dose for Dental films is much, much smaller than that for other kinds of X-rays, Dental staff will go as far away as possible when taking these, because they do many (thousands) of these in their working lifetime.

Your Dentist takes Dental X-rays so they can find:

Cavities within or between the teeth
Worn-out fillings or gaps around bridges and crowns
Tartar and deposits on the roots or below gums
Shrinking bone levels and root apex abscesses

Your dentist will place separate film packets throughout your mouth to make a thorough evaluation, or do one larger film.
Dental X-rays use high-speed film, so the amount of radiation exposure is very low. Machines vary, but a full series of X-rays only adds as much radiation as you'd get from about eight extra weeks of natural background radiation. Even if you've recently had other X-rays taken, a full-mouth set of X-rays does not add much to that exposure. X-rays are an important part of a thorough dental examination. It gives your dentist vital information and checks for problems that can't easily be detected from any other source.

Indeed, so low are doses for Dental X-rays, that they are NO LONGER contra-indicated in pregnant women like they used to be years ago.

Naturally, all X-ray exposure is kept to a minimum, with radiographs only being done when there is a good reason to do so, therefore we will always endeavour to reduce even low-dose Dental X-rays, to the minimum needed.

CAT scans ( Computerised Axial Tomography) or CT scans use much more radiation doses and whilst they can give further information, one has to balance that against the much greater radiation doses involved, thus they are not indicated for every case routinely.

Your Dentist or Specialist can best advise you on your individual needs.

For other Dentistry subjects information and choices, please click on:
Tooth Bleaching and Whitening or Dental and mini Implants or Dental Emergencies and Toothaches

The Picture below shows Dr.Kilcoyne with the smallest Dental X-ray machine that's hand held and portable:

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