Are there newer types of dental x-rays? the thing i hate most about going to the dentist is getting x-rays taken, with those cardboard card things they put in your mouth. i have a small mouth, and they hurt and nearly make me gag every time. i'm looking a

The : The x-ray techniques that bother you are called intraoral x-rays. This means that the dental x-ray film or digital x-ray sensor is put in your mouth. There are other types of extraoral x-rays, specifically a panoramic x-ray and cone beam x-rays. The problem is that the distance between the film and the tooth affects the quality of the image we get. The intraoral x-rays give very good two dimensional images because the film is right up against the tooth. Some dentists take panoramic film and supplement it with a few specific intraoral films. This approach might help you.

The : The standard in radiology is still the full mouth series of x rays (18-21 images, depending on the dental school and region). This is repeated every 2 to 3 years depending on your risk for dental disease. Yearly, 4 bitewing x rays are taken since they show the bone level between your back teeth, and are still the best way to detect cavities between the teeth. The most comfortable xrays today are called phosphor plates. A very thin plastic sensor is placed as a traditional xray, and after the x-ray is taken it is read by a laser beam scanner. One gets the benefits of a digital x ray, as well as a very thin sensor that is not connected with a cable and is much more comfortable to the patient. The only drawback is this a laser scanners are expensive. Nevertheless, the most common reason for not being comfortable while xrays are taken is technique. I have taught radiology for 4 years and i can tell you that, just like anything else, some people are better at it than others. Find a dentist who has phosphor plates and informed him or her off your previous bad experience. Any dentist who is hoping to find new patients will try to accommodate you. Best of luck, dr. Zev kaufman.

There : There are newer x-rays yes, and as had been said they are not necessarily any more comfortable. The very latest digital sensors are still hard and thicker that the "cardboard" as you put it, but they do have rounder corners, and we find that it is that corner that seems to cause the greatest discomfort during an x-ray survey. You might want to encourage your dentist to go digital. It reduces the x-ray dosage to the patient by up to 90%, and the pictures are available almost instantaneously. In addition the images can be sent by e-mail from one doctor to another. With my best wishes dr. Neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.

Unfortunately : Unfortunately there aren't any newer methods even the digital x-rays are even thicker. While they take x-rays on you tell your dentist to put a little salt on top of your tongue, surprisingly that will distract your gagging reflex. Good luck!

Yes: Bitewing images diagnose caries. Companies such as planmeca, sirona and others make new pan/ceph machines that take external "bitewing quality" images and show the full root. I have such a machine and the images are diagnostic for caries and perio disease. A robotic arm and a digital algorithm create an image that looks through tooth contacts (not a cbct). No more annoying cardboard tabs!