TL;DR
Stone Falls Dental Care in O’Fallon uses low-radiation digital X-rays, which put the image on a chairside screen within seconds and need less exposure than old film. They show what an exam can’t: decay between teeth and under fillings, bone loss from gum disease, infection at a root tip and teeth that haven’t come in. Dr. Prane orders them when your history and risk call for them, so a healthy, low-risk mouth needs them less often than one with frequent cavities. They’re safe for nearly everyone, and recent images from another office can often be sent over.
What are digital dental X-rays?
A digital X-ray uses a small electronic sensor in place of film, so the image appears on a monitor beside your chair within seconds. There’s no developing tray and no wait. Dr. Prane can enlarge a single tooth, adjust brightness and contrast to bring out a faint shadow, and lay this year’s image next to last year’s to compare them.
The sensor also needs less radiation to produce a clear picture than traditional film did, which is why our office describes its X-rays as low-radiation. You’ll see the images too, and we’re glad to walk you through what they show. Because the files are digital, they’re stored with your chart and can be shared securely with a specialist if you ever need a referral.
What do dental X-rays show that an exam can’t?
X-rays show the parts of your mouth no one can see directly: the surfaces where teeth touch, the inside of each tooth, the roots and the bone that holds them. A cavity between two molars can be well underway before it shows from the outside, and an X-ray often catches it while it’s still small.
Two kinds cover most checkups. Bitewings capture the upper and lower back teeth together and are the best view for decay between teeth and early bone loss. A periapical image shows one or two teeth from crown to root tip, which helps when a tooth aches or before a crown, root canal or implant.
- Decay between teeth and beneath existing fillings
- Bone loss from periodontal disease
- Infection or abscess at the tip of a root
- Impacted or crowded wisdom teeth
- Cysts, growths and other changes in the jaw
How safe are digital dental X-rays?
Digital dental X-rays are very safe. The dose from a set of digital bitewings is tiny, a small fraction of the natural background radiation everyone absorbs from the ground, the air and food over an ordinary year.
We still take only the images that will change a decision. If you’re pregnant or think you might be, tell us before any X-ray. Dental X-rays are considered safe during pregnancy when they’re needed, but routine ones can often wait until after the baby arrives. The same care applies to children, whose images are timed to how quickly their teeth and decay risk are changing.
How often do you need dental X-rays?
How often you need X-rays depends on your risk, so there’s no single schedule for everyone. National guidelines from the American Dental Association and the FDA ask dentists to set the interval patient by patient, and that’s how Dr. Prane approaches it.
An adult with healthy gums and no recent cavities may need bitewings only every couple of years. Someone who gets cavities often, has gum disease being treated, or has a lot of older dental work may need them yearly. A new patient usually needs a fuller set at the first visit so we have a baseline, unless recent images can be sent from a previous dentist. Diagnostic X-rays sit alongside the cleaning and exam at a routine checkup.
Are X-rays part of the new-patient offers?
Yes, the visits the practice has offered new patients have included the X-rays a first exam needs. The $49 welcome visit has covered necessary radiographs along with the exam and cleaning, and a $99 visit has paired two to four bitewings with an exam, a cleaning and a home whitening kit.
Offers change, so check our offers for new patients or ask the front desk which ones are running now. If X-rays show bone loss, Dr. Prane will explain what the measurements mean on our page about diagnosing gum disease.