Do you want to keep your teeth and mouth in great condition? Did you know that dental X-rays are as meaningful and necessary a part of this process as yearly physicals with your physician, maintaining a good diet, exercising routinely, bi-yearly teeth cleanings and daily brushing and flossing? Beyond this, more than ever before—with the use of digital devices—dental X-rays are simple and safe.

The risk of harm from exposure to radiation during the X-ray process has always been low, but not worth ignoring. With the invention of the digital X-ray, patients are now exposed to far less radiation—up to seventy percent less radiation as compared to older film-based X-rays. With digital X-rays, the amount of radiation exposure is at a minimum. On top of this, chemicals are no longer required to process X-ray images; this leaves our environment untouched by the process.

To Dr. Hadeed, the benefits of X-rays are personal. The benefits are personal for the obvious reasons, including his passion for the well being of his patients, and for a not so obvious reason, which involves a personal story. In the early sixties, when his mother, Diann, was twelve, her dentist insisted on taking a full set of dental X-rays. In those days, as you now know, there were more concerns regarding the amount of radiation exposure due to X-rays. Even then, though, when the exposure to radiation was greater, the full set of X-rays that Diann’s parents allowed the dentist to take proved to be worth the physical risk of X-ray exposure. The X-rays revealed a facial tumor that otherwise would have gone undetected. Because the dentist understood the clinical value of X-rays, Diann’s tumor was discovered, she sought additional medical evaluations, and her tumor was successfully treated.

In a sense, Diann’s story is a common one. A doctor cannot treat a problem unless he or she knows it exists, and digital X-rays are often the first line of defense when it comes to serious issues such as dental decay or facial growths. Dental X-rays can reveal other abnormalities in the jawbone that could be related to a serious medical problem.

Digital X-rays can also reveal hidden areas of decay within your teeth, concealed dental structures such as wisdom teeth and bone loss within your mouth. Discovering these issues early will allow Dr. Hadeed to do the following: properly repair or remove decay before it leads to a more serious problems like an abscess, determine the proper time to extract your wisdom teeth, and appropriately treat bone loss.

If you have more questions—or wonder if you are due for digital X-rays—please call our office. We look forward to hearing from you!