Our goal is to make each dental visit a relaxed and pleasant experience.

Carl D. Levy, D.M.D.

102 Hyde Parkway - Palmyra, New York 14522 (315)597-5511

Many times when I am examining a patient I may suggest that we take one or more dental x-rays. The patient may wonder why I am suggesting an x-ray, whether x-rays are dangerous to their health or if they are necessary at all.

Without x-rays, many developing problems may not be found. Below is an x-ray that I took on one of our patients during her routine dental check-up. The dark area labeled #3 is a cavity. Since the cavity is on the biting surface of the tooth, it was visible in the patient's mouth. However, the x-ray also showed me that other problems existed which I could not detect by examining the patient.

The x-ray shows another cavity (#1) in the tooth on the left. Since the cavity is growing in between two teeth, I could not see it at all when I was looking in the patient's mouth. Even though the patient had not felt any pain in this area, the x-ray showed me that this large cavity (#l) is growing very close to the nerve of the tooth (#2). Immediate attention to this cavity is needed before it grows into the nerve of the tooth and causes severe dental pain.

The x-ray also showed that the patient had an infection below her gums. Gum infections are usually painless and the patient was totally unaware she had gum disease until it showed up in this x-ray. #4 and #5 in this x-ray show healthy bone filling the space between the roots of the teeth. Gum infections can totally destroy the bone which holds a tooth firmly in your jaw.

#6 shows an area where gum disease has destroyed the bone. Compare this to spaces #4 and #5 where healthy bone is present. If the gum infection in this area had not been discovered and treated, it would have continued to destroy the bone holding the tooth until the tooth became loose and was lost. Luckily the gum infection was found in time and with gum treatments, the infection was stopped.

As you can see, dental x-rays allow us to identify many problems before they are visible, cause any pain or cause severe damage requiring expensive treatments or extraction of a tooth.

The radiation emitted by modern dental x-ray equipment is very small. Most of the x-rays we take at our office today are "digital". Digital x-rays do not use any film. A small "sensor" is placed in the patients mouth and the x-ray image is almost immediately displayed on our computer screen. Our digital x-ray system, provides higher quality x-rays than x-rays taken with film but exposes the patient to 75% less radiation than x-rays taken on film. In addition, we always cover the patient's body with a lead apron when taking x-rays. With this, the radiation going to the patient's internal and reproductive organs is almost zero. When used conscientiously, the benefits of dental x-rays, far outweigh any potential health risks.

Digital Dental X-Rays

The large images make it easy for the dentist and for the patient to see the condition of their teeth and other oral structures. Your dental checkups take less time, because the images immediately show on the computer screen. It's fun to watch this system work! Most patients are amazed.