Radiographs (X-Rays) are a vital and necessary part of your child’s dental diagnostic process. Without them, certain dental conditions can and will be missed.

Radiographs detect much more than cavities. For example, radiographs may be needed to survey erupting teeth, determine presence of impacted teeth, determine if extra (supernumerary) teeth are present. To diagnose bone diseases, diagnose cysts or tumors (benign or malignant), evaluate the results of an injury, or plan orthodontic treatment. Radiographs allow dentists to diagnose and treat health conditions that cannot be detected during a clinical examination. If dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child and more affordable for you.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends radiographs and examinations every six months for kids with a high risk of tooth decay. On average, most pediatric dentists request radiographs approximately once a year. Approximately every 3 years it is a good idea to obtain a complete set of radiographs, either a panoramic and bitewings or periapicals and bitewings.

Pediatric dentists are particularly careful to minimize the exposure of their patients to radiation. With contemporary safeguards, the amount of radiation received in a dental X-ray examination is extremely small. The risk is negligible. In fact, the dental radiographs represent a far smaller risk than an undetected and untreated dental problem.

Kidds Dental uses low dose digital X-rays which are the newest improvement in dental diagnostic imaging. Now your child can have their dental x-rays done electronically, almost instantly appearing on our computer screen, with up to 80% less radiation. The benefit to our patients is that they would need eight years of these new state-of-the-art low dose digital x-rays to equal one year of the regular dental x-rays.