How Often Do I Need Dental X-rays?

X-rays use a minimal amount of radiation to create images of your teeth and the structures that support them. At Full Circle Dental Care, we perform X-rays in our office in Del City, Oklahoma. 

Our experienced dentist, Dr. Samuel Sigmon, and our knowledgeable team tell our patients that X-rays are a crucial aspect of oral health care. Today’s blog explains why X-rays are so important and how often you need them. 

Why you need X-rays

At Full Circle Dental Care, we use X-rays in many situations because they provide crucial insights into the inner workings of your mouth and body. Some of the main reasons we use X-rays during dental care include:

Diagnostic precision

X-rays offer a detailed view of bones and tissues, allowing your dental team to see beyond what the eye can see above the gumline to identify the cause of symptoms like tooth pain. X-rays help detect cavities between teeth, tumors, bone loss, or other problems. They help us make an accurate diagnosis and plan your treatment.

Early detection and treatment 

Using X-rays, we can detect many problems even before you have symptoms. That’s why X-rays are often a part of your routine dental checkups. For example, if we detect a tiny cavity on an X-ray, we can treat it immediately. This prevents it from progressing into a big cavity or a severe issue requiring more extensive treatment.

Treatment guidance

X-rays are a critical part of guiding some types of treatment, such as oral surgery. For instance, X-rays help us determine the ideal way to approach dental implants; they can tell us whether you need bone grafting before surgery, and they can also help Dr. Sigmon precisely position your implant. This guidance can lead to less discomfort and faster recovery.

Treatment monitoring

If you’re undergoing treatment — for example, teeth straightening with Invisalign® — we may use X-rays to monitor your response to treatment. Essentially, X-rays can help us make sure you’re on track for the treatment goal. If your teeth aren’t responding as they should, we can adjust your treatment to ensure you get the best results. 

When you need X-rays 

How often you need X-rays depends on why you’re getting them. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends determining X-ray schedules on a case-by-case basis. The factors involved when deciding X-ray frequency include: 

• Current oral health
• Age
• Risk factors for oral disease
• Symptoms of oral disease

Because every patient’s situation is unique, there’s simply no set schedule that fits everybody’s needs. 

We generally recommend X-rays as part of your dental exams, but you might not need them at every exam. Based on your needs, we can devise an X-ray schedule of every six months, once a year, once every two years, or some other interval. 

The ADA recommends following the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle for X-rays. Essentially, this principle means that we only use X-rays when it’s necessary and when the benefits are higher than the risks. 

Schedule your X-rays to take control of your oral health

Starting a schedule of regular X-rays now means less time and money spent on dental care later. Call our office at 405-677-0516 or click on our online booking feature to set up your X-rays today.