{"id":125,"date":"2021-12-13T17:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T17:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/?p=125"},"modified":"2022-01-18T16:45:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:45:01","slug":"why-are-dental-x-rays-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does My Dentist Take X-Rays?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/digital-x-ray-1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"dentist showing a patient their dental X-rays \" class=\"wp-image-142\" width=\"299\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When you hear the word \u201cX-ray,\u201d what\u2019s the first thing that comes to your mind? Most people think of a doctor looking at an image of a broken bone. But did you know that dentists take X-rays too? It\u2019s true; they\u2019re actually a crucial part of regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">dental checkups<\/a>. But why, exactly? Here\u2019s a basic breakdown of what you should know about dental X-rays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Are Dental X-Rays Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dentists are trained to spot even the tiniest signs of problems with your teeth and gums. However, even their expert eyes can\u2019t catch issues that are hidden below the surface. That\u2019s where dental X-rays come in. Using electromagnetic radiation, X-rays produce images of your teeth and jaws that let your dentist look past your gums and soft tissues to see what\u2019s going on underneath them. They can reveal several types of dental health problems that would be otherwise undetectable, such as cavities in between the teeth, infection in a tooth\u2019s root, or jawbone loss due to gum disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Often Do I Need to Get Dental X-Rays?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It depends. If you have a history of gum disease or other oral health conditions, your dentist will probably recommend that you get X-rays taken at each of your six-month checkups. On the other hand, if your teeth and gums are generally healthy, you might only need X-rays every year or two. If you just started seeing a new dentist, they\u2019ll most likely want to get a full set of X-rays to evaluate the current state of your oral health. Children may also need to have X-rays taken at every visit so that the dentist can keep an eye on their dental development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are Dental X-Rays Safe?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Radiation is a part of all X-rays, which may understandably make you feel concerned about their safety. However, the levels of radiation involved are so low that the American Dental Association has deemed dental X-rays perfectly safe for children and adults. If your dentist uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/dental-technology.html\">digital X-rays<\/a> instead of traditional film ones, you can expect them to be even safer, as they emit up to 90% less radiation. Additionally, this amount of radiation is extremely low compared to many other ordinary activities. You\u2019re actually exposed to more radiation when you fly on an airplane than when you get a dental X-ray taken!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main exception to this rule is pregnancy. As any healthcare professional will tell you, patients who are pregnant or think they might be pregnant should all avoid X-rays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting dental X-rays might not be the most exciting part of your checkup, but they\u2019re integral in helping your dentist catch oral health issues early on. By getting them treated right away, you can save a great deal of time, pain, and money down the road!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author &nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/meet-dr-gretchen-anjomi.html\">Dr. Gretchen Anjomi<\/a> has well over 20 years of experience in the dental field. Throughout that time, she has committed to utilizing the latest technology at Newton Corner Dental Care to improve her patients\u2019 quality of treatment. This includes digital dental X-rays, which not only emit less radiation, but also produce clearer images much more quickly, leading to more precise diagnoses. If it\u2019s time for your next dental checkup and cleaning, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/contact.html\">reach out<\/a> to Dr. Anjomi by calling 617-332-6232.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you hear the word \u201cX-ray,\u201d what\u2019s the first thing that comes to your mind? Most people think of a doctor looking at an image of a broken bone. But did you know that dentists take X-rays too? It\u2019s true; they\u2019re actually a crucial part of regular dental checkups. But why, exactly? Here\u2019s a basic breakdown of what you should know about dental X-rays. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Does My Dentist Take X-Rays? | Dental X-Rays | Dr. Gretchen Anjomi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you wondered why your dentist takes X-rays of your mouth at your checkups? Here\u2019s what you need to know about dental X-rays.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Does My Dentist Take X-Rays? | Dental X-Rays | Dr. Gretchen Anjomi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you wondered why your dentist takes X-rays of your mouth at your checkups? Here\u2019s what you need to know about dental X-rays.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newton Corner Dental Care Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewtonCornerDentalCare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-13T17:17:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-18T16:45:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smiledmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/digital-x-ray-1-300x225.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smiledmd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smiledmd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smiledmd\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/622ccefa4906311023e97f50c08c7d74\"},\"headline\":\"Why Does My Dentist Take X-Rays?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-13T17:17:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-18T16:45:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":562,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/digital-x-ray-1-300x225.jpeg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Does My Dentist Take X-Rays? | Dental X-Rays | Dr. Gretchen Anjomi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/why-are-dental-x-rays-important\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledmd.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/digital-x-ray-1-300x225.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-13T17:17:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-18T16:45:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Have you wondered why your dentist takes X-rays of your mouth at your checkups? 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