How is a dental X-ray performed?
In most cases, there is no special preparation. You can eat and drink normally before the examination. It is painless and does not require any anaesthetic.
The dentist places a piece of plastic in your mouth and asks you to bite down on it. Usually, several x-rays are taken to identify problems in different parts of the mouth.
A panoramic X-ray, which creates a single image of the entire mouth, is an extra-oral examination, meaning that the imaging device and film are outside the mouth. A panoramic X-ray machine projects a beam through the mouth onto a film or detector, which rotates in the opposite direction to the X-ray tube.
What are the risks during the consultation?
Although it is absolutely painless, the X-ray examination is nonetheless subject to certain precautions. Because of their irradiating nature, X-rays are not without potential health risks.
Nevertheless, the radiation doses received during an X-ray examination are low and do not present a risk in themselves, but it is the repetition of these examinations that is problematic. For this reason, patients who have to undergo many medical imaging examinations are referred to methods that use ultrasound (ultrasound) or magnetic waves (MRI). In addition, women that are pregnant or breastfeeding may be advised to avoid X-rays.
