Can Dental X-Rays Detect Hidden Tooth Infections?

Dental X-rays are unique tools dentists use to diagnose infections and treat your teeth accurately. When detecting tooth infections, dentists frequently take dental X-rays annually to ensure patients’ teeth are in optimal condition.

Exploring Tooth Infections: How Dental X-Rays Can Uncover Hidden Dental Problems

  • Tooth decay: When you visit the dental clinic complaining of a toothache, the dentist can offer treatment for the discomfort. However, wouldn’t you feel comfortable if the dentist detected the underlying cause of the pain to prevent a cavity from expanding and causing further complications? Dental X-rays help dentists detect cavities invisible to the naked eye showing dark spots on the teeth indicating holes. Dentists can ascertain changes in tooth density and dentin by examining the X-rays. The dark spots become visible because the decayed material has less density and allows X-ray lights to penetrate the tooth, exposing it to film.
  • Interproximal Cavities: everyone thinks cavities occur merely on the molars without thinking holes can develop between the teeth. Decay between the teeth is called interproximal cavities and becomes visible on dental X-rays as a dark line between the teeth. Interproximal cavities are often more profound than those displayed on X-rays.
  • Dental Abscess: the dentist near you can look at the entire structure of your tooth from the crown to the root by taking periapical X-rays. Dentists prefer taking periapical X-rays when looking for problems beneath the jawline for infections like a dental abscess. If the abscess has expanded, it becomes visible on X-rays helping the dentist suggest appropriate treatment.
  • Cysts: tiny sacs of tissue containing fluids are called cysts. They can develop in your mouth and become visible on dental X-rays as dark holes. While some cysts are entirely benign, others may become infected and wreak havoc in the mouth, making examining them essential and offering treatment if necessary. Occasionally cysts can develop from trauma, genetic conditions or form near the nerve of a dead tooth.
  • Bone Loss: when periodontal disease is left untreated, bone loss is familiar. When detecting hidden tooth infections, the dentist captures bitewing x-rays helpful to make the damage visible. Bitewing X-rays allow dentists to measure the size of dental pockets making the dentist aware of the occurrence of bone loss because of the condition in the mouth.
  • Impacted Teeth: the local dentist can comfortably detect impacted wisdom teeth that do not emerge from the gums but remain hidden beneath to cause pain and other dental issues. Wisdom teeth appearing between 17 and 21 often remain blocked by other teeth but are detectable on x-rays to dentists suggesting tooth removal to help you avoid complications in your mouth.
  • Overbite And Underbite Issues: orthodontists often use Cephalometric x-rays to capture images of your head from the side when creating treatment plans to straighten teeth. The x-rays display images of the angle of bite issues and jaw misalignment to help the professional treat the condition appropriately to ensure patients have correctly positioned teeth and jaw.
  • Temporomandibular Joint Issues: the TMJ joint connects your lower jaw to your skull to help you bite and chew. Although it is a problem, TMJ disorders are not concerning and disappear by themselves without treatment. However, if you experience persistent discomfort when opening and closing your mouth or clicking and popping of the jawbone, you can overcome the problem by receiving treatment from the dentist providing nonsurgical therapies and suggesting exercises or physical therapy to alleviate the symptoms.

Dentists recommend dental x-rays for all patients to offer tooth infection treatment, if required before the condition expands, making it essential to receive expensive and extensive treatments from the dentist near you at high prices.

If you receive a suggestion for x-rays from the dental office nearby, consider it a preventive measure to detect infections invisible to the naked eye in your mouth, helpful for preventing unnecessary complications later.

X-rays help dentists identify infections affecting your teeth, gums, jawbone, and oral cavity, making it comfortable for them to recommend early intervention when outcomes are optimal. The advent of digital X-rays now makes capturing images more comfortable and safer because they are devoid of radiation and do not require development because dentists can visualize dental X-rays on computer screens to offer faster treatment in shorter appointments.

When you visit Espire Dental for your routine appointment and receive a suggestion for dental x-rays, kindly accept the dentist’s proposal. The X-rays help the dentist detect tooth infections in your mouth early to recommend interventional treatment to prevent severe complications.