You’ve likely had them at least one time in your life and if you are a faithful dentist goer, you should have experienced dental x-rays several times. So, you know what happens to you, but did you know that there are several different types of dental x-ray that can be done? It’s true.

Employed for a variety of diagnostic reasons, there are actually four forms that can be used, depending on what the dentist or orthodontist is looking for. With the introduction of digital x-ray a few years ago, these images can even be sent directly to the office computer for quicker feedback.

The Bitewing x-ray is the one that most people will encounter on a fairly regular basis. This captures images of all teeth – front and back, up and down – and is used to track alignment and potential decay between teeth.

The Periapical x-ray reaches slightly further to capture images of the entire tooth, including the root, to seek out potential issues otherwise out of view.

Occlusals can be used to track the progress of teeth not yet broken through the surface. This is often put to work when there is believed to be an extra tooth under the surface, if the jaw is thought to be fractured, or if a cleft palate exists. There are also other, similarly deep set problems that can be found with this tool.

Finally, Panoramic x-rays do not capture just the mouth region, but move beyond that to cast images of the sinuses and the joints of the jaw. Bone abnormalities, infections, breaks, and fractures are easily discerned from these pictures.

For more information on dental x-rays, visit the full article.