Exams & X-rays

A dental exam and x-rays are very important steps at the dentist to determine the health of your teeth, gums and mouth. The dentist will examine your mouth gently and explore the state of your teeth and gums, talking you through the process step by step.

They will take x-rays of your mouth – this will assist with initial prognosis in the exam and help with diagnosis.

PANORAMIC X-RAY

One of the most helpful tools for dentists is the pan-oral x-ray machine.

This machine takes a single x-ray of your head from the eyes down to your mid neck and from ear to ear. It enables dentists to get a general overview of the patient’s mouth, especially those hard-to-reach areas.

It allows the dentist to see:

• Any hard tissue changes in your bone that supports the teeth (checking for signs of periodontal disease)
• All of your teeth from the crown to the bottom of root (checking for abscesses, root fractures, impacted wisdom tooth positions or ill-fitting restorations)
• Jaw fractures
• Changes in your jaw joint
• Diseases of the jaw bones (such as cancer, cysts and other mouth pathologies)
• Sinus problem