How Do Dental X-Rays Work?

Dental patients are all familiar with the process of taking X-rays. Everyone has had to bite down on a piece of film, holding still while the dentist places the camera appropriately and hold the pose while they take the X-ray. But just how does that few seconds of posing transfer to a diagnosable X-ray? Understanding how dental X-rays work will give you more insight for your next dental visit.

An X-Ray works similarly to the way a camera works. However, instead of using light to expose a film it uses X-Rays, which are electromagnetic waves. These rays can penetrate different materials at different degrees, which explains the different shade variations in an X-Ray film. Since bone, fat, skin and fluid all absorb different degrees of X-Rays, the amount of X-Rays left that reach the film varies. This is what creates a picture allowing you to see different structures within to body.

Dental X-rays work the same as any other X-ray.

• X-rays pass through your mouth and are mostly taken of the hard tissues in your mouth, your teeth and bone.


• X-rays hit the film and create a radiograph


• The radiograph shows the tissues within your oral cavity, teeth, tissue and bone


• Dentists utilize radiographs to diagnose your dental health

Dental X-Rays are a necessary tool for dentists because they cannot always diagnose health problems by simply looking in your mouth. Some health problems that require an X-ray for diagnoses include:

• Gum disease


• Abscesses


• Development problems


• Tooth decay


• Bone infections

While children require more frequent dental X-rays due to their rapid development, an adult with no obvious dental problems should have dental X-rays taken yearly.