When visiting a dental clinic, many doctors insist that their patients have their teeth x-rayed. This is necessary to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. However, this mysterious dark photo report is understandable only to specialists. An unprepared person will not see anything on it. He will tell doctors a lot, for example, whether the nerve is damaged and whether it should be removed. So what does this picture show?
General information about x-rays
An x-ray of a tooth is a kind of photograph of the mouth, gums and teeth. It is performed using a special apparatus that provides a concentrated emission of x-rays. They, in turn, are one of the varieties of an electromagnetic pulse, but with a smaller spectrum of action.
Due to their unique qualities, these types of radiation allow you to illuminate the tooth, bypassing the tissues and skin.
Camera film and display on it
After the irradiation necessary for the analysis of the site has occurred, the x-ray machine takes a picture and displays it on a specialfilm. It is she who is given to the patient in his hands for further presentation to the doctor. As a rule, such an x-ray of the tooth is covered in a special protective cover or covered with a small piece of paper.
When are they referred for the procedure and why?
An x-ray of a tooth should only be taken if the problem the patient has presented with cannot be solved by visual examination alone.
In other words, the doctor is not able to identify the cause of, for example, acute toothache by examining the oral cavity. For example, there are cases when a patient comes to the doctor with a toothache. At the same time, due to incomprehensible sensations and the so-called echo or spraying pain (reflected not in one place, but in several at once), it is difficult for him to determine which particular tooth is affected. Then the X-ray comes to the rescue. The same applies to checking wisdom teeth, diagnosing certain gum diseases. Sometimes the dentist needs to look at the structure of the tissues of the oral cavity around the gums and roots of the teeth.
What colors are present and their meaning?
You can only take an X-ray of a tooth in black and white. At the same time, each color and even shade in such a peculiar photo has its own meaning. For example, if you have crowns, metal bridges and fillings, they will be highlighted in white on the picture. This is due to the fact that such solids have a foreign, unnatural composition and, unlike natural tissues, they do not shine through untilend.
Cavities and gaps between teeth tend to be dark. In the pictures they are painted black. Tissues and fluids, according to doctors, also stand out in the picture, but already in shades of gray.
What problems does it solve?
The following problems can be solved with X-rays:
- Determine the location and depth of dental caries.
- Diagnose any type of fracture in the jaw area.
- See the teeth that have erupted but not yet surfaced.
- Determine the presence of malocclusion and other abnormal deviations with teeth, gums, roots.
- See the accumulation of pus and progressive inflammation.
- Notice irregularities and unnatural deviations in the oral cavity (for example, this is how a tooth cyst is determined: on an x-ray it looks like a small dark spot in the root area).
X-ray is often used when removing a nerve. With its help, the doctor can check how well a particular canal was cleaned.
What kinds are there?
Description of dental x-rays directly depends on the technique of the procedure itself. There are the following types of pictures:
- Bitey.
- Periapical.
- Panoramic.
- Occlusal.
Which one to use is determined by the dentist, because here, first of all, it is important which part of the mouthcavity or jaw to be examined.
Thus, the bitewing view of the radiography is used to determine the exact image of the dental crown. With its help, the doctor manages to diagnose the early stages of periodontitis and caries. To obtain such a picture, the patient is offered to bite and lightly squeeze a small piece of a special film with his teeth. According to experts, this method is used quite often.
Periapical x-ray of a tooth (deciphering it requires special care) makes it possible to simultaneously examine several teeth at once, including their roots and periosseous tissues. This technique allows you to timely determine the presence of a tumor, the beginning of the inflammatory process in the gum and root, to see the cyst.
Panoramic exposure, as its name implies, gives a perfect view of the entire jaw. It is usually used when inserting pins, with full or partial implantation of teeth. With its help, you can find wisdom teeth that have not yet appeared on the surface, see obvious deviations and lesions of bone tissue.
And finally, occlusal or palatal X-ray allows you to capture both jaws at once in one photo.
There is another research option called computed tomography. Pictures of this plan are also carried out in the X-ray room. But, unlike the classic options, a special computer scan is provided here. With its help, the doctor manages to get the clearest picture of the jaw and oral cavity. Moreover, the computer performs additional calculations, making it possible to determine the exactsize and structure of the tooth, see the nerve and canals, maxillary sinus.
Computed tomography of this type allows you to get a complete panoramic picture of the jaw in order to identify, for example, a place for implant placement. With the help of this technology, it is realistic to identify tumor and inflammatory processes occurring in the oral cavity. Next, we will talk about how to read dental x-rays.
How can you interpret the picture in the photo?
If you pay attention to the picture, you can draw certain conclusions. So, according to experts, there is a natural void in a he althy tooth. It is in it that the nerve of the tooth is located. When examining the picture, the doctor identifies he althy teeth, and then compares them with those in which there are certain deviations. Having received a complete picture of he althy and diseased teeth, the doctor draws up a treatment plan.
What can be seen on a dental x-ray: the cyst example
As we have already said, when viewing a radiograph, a specialist conducts a visual analysis of the patient's oral cavity, reveals he althy and diseased teeth. It is not uncommon for a patient to visit a doctor, for example, in order to install a crown on a particular tooth.
However, when a panoramic x-ray is taken, he is found to have inflammation or a cyst. This is what an x-ray shows in the area of one of the roots of the tooth. In the picture, it looks like a slight darkening.
For those who don't know: the cyst looks like a kind of sac that is attached to the very top of the root. At the same time, its cavity is sometimes filledpurulent contents. Usually a cyst does not bring discomfort to its owner. It causes only rare discomfort that occurs when pressing on the tooth or chewing hard food.
Referring to the fact that the tooth does not hurt, the patient usually refuses to remove the cyst. And he does this in vain, because this purulent sac can increase in size. Sometimes, against the background of cyst growth, severe pain appears, and body temperature can rise sharply. When the radiograph is repeated in such a situation, the doctor will definitely see an increase in the dark spot in the root area. This will only mean one thing - the cyst is growing and needs urgent elimination.
What can make a snapshot harder to read?
Reading a picture will only be difficult if it is of poor quality. Not a single specialist, even a very good one, will agree to make a diagnosis if the x-ray was performed with poor focus and contrast, and the picture is fuzzy or contains distortions. In such cases, doctors advise to perform a second x-ray.
Is this radiation dangerous?
According to experts, X-rays are not at all dangerous. The radiation itself is not so powerful, so the procedure is practically harmless. In addition, when taking a picture, the entire body of the patient is dressed in a special protective apron. Therefore, X-rays are not harmful to he alth.
