Dental Xrays Again?

How often and how many dental x ray images should be taken?

Hygienist: "No it's been over a year since your last radiographs were taken, time sure does fly doesn't it?"

One of the most common conversations for me and every other dental hygienist, second only to: "Can you believe this crazy weather we're having?"

It's just as crazy as it was last year... about the time we took that set of dental xrays:)

It's a good question, considering dentists are one of the few health care providers to recommend radiographs "just in case".

Your physician never wants to take a quick xray just to be sure your leg isn't broken. If your leg feels fine, no need to look further.

Why do we take so many dental x rays? Because teeth sometimes feel fine when they are not fine. Dental caries or cavities can be detected long before you feel pain. Unfortunaltely, there are no symptoms of tooth decay in it's early stages.

Dental x rays provide a lot of valuable information and require a fraction of radiation when compared to radiographs taken of larger body parts, like legs.

Because they are a safe, practical and important part of your dental check up, dental xrays are routinely taken or at least recommended.

How often and how many dental xrays are needed?

Of course, when and how many x rays you have taken is up to you. There is wiggle room in every recommendation and dental xrays are no exception. Here's when you may or may not want to delay your dental xrays.

If you are in one of the following categories, you can consider having yours taken less frequently.

Once every two years might be a good option if you:

• Never have a cavity
If you are one of those diligent flossers and you brush after meal and snack. Your toothbrush never has time to dry out between uses or you are lucky and blessed with super strong enamel. If you have no teeth with cavities, chances are pretty good that the trend will continue...cavities and fillings won't be in your future.

You don't drink sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, or any acidic or sugar filled beverage. You don't eat twinkies, suck on hard candy all day or have sugar in your coffee.

• Have perfectly healthy gums
Your gums never bleed or have symptoms of gum disease. You use up your dental floss instead of lose it. Any slight gum swelling or bleeding gets your full attention until it's healthy again.

You get the idea, people who are generally in good health and have good habits may want to consider having x rays taken less frequently.

the disclaimer:

Your perfect dental history doesn't guarantee a perfect dental future.

Even clients with no cavities or fillings in their teeth sometimes surprise us with a random cavity....Just when you think you know a person:)

Random tooth decay causes

• Hormonal changes
-Hormones are to blame for many things including an increase in tooth decay and gum disease. Gingivitis often comes with puberty. Dry mouth is common in menopause, putting women at increased risk for cavities.
• Dietary and habit changes
-Life happens and circumstances bump good oral hygiene habits off the priority list. It's understandable and unavoidable. Dietary changes can be as small as adding a little sugar to your coffee. It might be fine for most but for the cavity prone...maybe not.
• Bottled water
-Most of us drink more water out of a bottle and less out of the tap. Bottled water does not have fluoride to boost your cavity resistance. Reversing tooth decay, or at least stopping it's progession is one benefit of fluoride that is lost when we skip drinking tap water.
• Age
-The A word again! Not only as you get older, but kids, teens, even college students because of their lifestyle, diet, and possibly sketchy oral hygiene habits are at a higher risk for cavities.
• Dry mouth
-this is a big one. Dry mouth from medications, mouth breathing, or age makes tooth decay much more likely.
• The unfair factor
-The unpredictable side of health. A kid or adult who look like they never owned a toothbrush, dental floss....what's that? And yet...no cavities or gum disease...not fair!

Or....the dental client who never misses a check up, has a good diet, doesn't smoke, flosses everyday and still gets a cavity or gum disease... not fair!

We call it unfair, scientists call it host response. How your body reacts may be different than how most bodies react.

Doesn't mean we should quit doing all the right things because chances are, you will react in the most predictable way.

Want to learn more about dental Xrays? Click here:

• Panoramic Dental Xray...The Big Picture


• What Does The Dentist See on Your X-Rays?


• Digital Dental X-Rays...Faster, Better, Safer

Return from dental xrays to dental xray, is it safe?

Return from dental xrays to gum disease cure home page