{"id":585,"date":"2019-07-02T22:55:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T22:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/blog\/?p=585"},"modified":"2023-07-17T17:27:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T17:27:27","slug":"dentist-in-westminster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/02\/dentist-in-westminster\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do X-Rays Show a Dentist in Westminster &amp; How Often Are They Needed?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-586\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Dentist-looking-at-an-X-ray--300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Dentist looking at an X-ray\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Dentist-looking-at-an-X-ray--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Dentist-looking-at-an-X-ray-.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>By far, the best thing you can do for your dental health is to focus on prevention. Your teeth are incredibly strong and have the potential to last a lifetime with minimal dental work &#8211; <em>if <\/em>you practice preventative care!Along with good oral hygiene habits at home, regular checkups and routine X-rays are essential for finding problems in their beginning stages and preventing them from progressing. However, it\u2019s quite common to wonder why a dentist in Westminster needs X-rays and how patients benefit from them. Keep reading to find out what X-rays reveal about your oral health and how often they need to be taken!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>What Problems Can a Dentist Find With X-Rays?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pathology and Disease<\/strong>\u2013 Inside your jaws and around the roots of your teeth, infections, cysts, bone defects, and lesions can develop. If not detected early enough, these issues can progress and lead to serious damage to the teeth and jaws.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cavities<\/strong>\u2013 Many people assume they would know if they had a cavity because it would hurt, but that\u2019s only true in some cases. Oftentimes, cavities don\u2019t cause pain until they\u2019re fairly large and have gotten closer to the nerve in the center of the tooth. But at this stage, more extensive dental work needs be done (e.g. a root canal and crown). With annual bitewing X-rays at a checkup, a dentist can spot cavities when they\u2019re relatively small and before they start hurting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gum Health<\/strong>\u2013 Your gum tissue covers the jawbone that supports your teeth and keeps them strong and stable. The healthier your jawbone is, the more support your teeth have, and the only way to evaluate that is to periodically take an X-ray. If there are problems, a dentist can recommend gum disease therapy to preserve the remaining jawbone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How Often Do You Need X-Rays?<\/h2>\n<p>At a first appointment, <em>new<\/em>dental patients typically get what\u2019s called a full-mouth series of X-rays that show detailed images of the root and crown of every tooth. Alternatively, they may get a panoramic X-ray which shows an overview of each tooth along with the jaws, sinuses, TMJ, and more (the type of X-ray depends on each dentist\u2019s preferences). These images allow for a thorough initial evaluation and provide a baseline for comparing future X-rays.<\/p>\n<p>After the first visit, routine X-rays are generally done at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">checkups<\/a>\u00a0 on the following schedule, although this can vary depending on an individual\u2019s needs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Once a year:<\/strong>Bitewing X-rays are taken annually so a dentist can check for cavities in between the back teeth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Every 3-5 Years<\/strong>: For a more comprehensive view, <em>either<\/em>a full-mouth series <em>or<\/em>a panoramic X-ray is taken every 3-5 years to evaluate the areas that don\u2019t show up on bitewings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>As Needed<\/strong>: For specific pain or problems, a peri-apical X-ray (PA), is taken to show a detailed, up-close image of the area. Insurance companies usually require a PA before they\u2019ll cover a dental crown because they want to make sure there isn\u2019t an infection around the root of the tooth (which puts it at risk of failure or needing an extraction).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>During an exam, a dentist is limited to seeing the outside surfaces of your teeth and gums. X-rays allow them to see what\u2019s happening <em>under <\/em>the surface where problems start!<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<p>With over 15 years of experience, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/meet-dr-bancroft.html\">Dr. Joanne Bancroft<\/a>\u00a0 is a family dentist in Westminster who aims to do the least amount of dental work possible on her patients. Over the years, she\u2019s found how crucial diagnostic tools like X-rays are to monitor her patients\u2019 oral health and catch problems early on. If you have any questions about X-rays, she can be reached via her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jbdentist.com\/contact.html\">website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By far, the best thing you can do for your dental health is to focus on prevention. Your teeth are incredibly strong and have the potential to last a lifetime with minimal dental work &#8211; if you practice preventative care!Along with good oral hygiene habits at home, regular checkups and routine X-rays are essential for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","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-585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Do X-Rays Show a Dentist in Westminster &amp; How Often Are They Needed?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does a dentist in Westminster see with X-rays, and do they keep your smile healthier? 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