X-ray of a child’s jaw with baby teeth: features of the procedure

X-ray of the jaw in children

Problems with teeth, as well as with the development of bite, begin to bother a person from a very early age. Pediatricians constantly monitor the teething process in very young children. Parents can also seek advice from pediatric dentists if there is a suspicion that something is going wrong.

A procedure such as an x-ray of a child’s jaw is prescribed quite often today. There is no need to be afraid that X-rays can negatively affect the child’s health - the modern equipment used for the study is characterized by minimal radiation exposure. X-ray can be considered a safe diagnostic method.

Photo of baby teeth

X-ray of primary teeth is an effective method to identify emerging problems.

through modern diagnostics.

As you know, many children have a hard time going to the dentist. Parents and doctors have to come up with various tricks in order to put the child in a chair and carry out the necessary procedures.

In addition, a pediatric dentist must have certain knowledge in the field of education and psychology, as well as have extensive work experience in order to know what approaches can be applied to a child for successful treatment. Not all clinics have such doctors, and the wrong approach can harm the child’s psyche and initially spoil his attitude towards the doctor’s office.

In order to prevent the need for frequent visits to the dentist, it is necessary to bring your child for preventive examinations.

An X-ray of baby teeth in children will allow you to see:

• condition of tooth roots;
• condition of soft tissues (and gums);
• determine the location of dental root primordia;
• more accurate timing of loss of primary teeth.

Since the process of replacing baby teeth with permanent ones accompanies the child and his parents for several years, it is worth paying special attention to diagnosing the position of the teeth and their quality condition.

When is a child's jaw x-rayed?

So, an X-ray of the jaw of a child with baby teeth: when can it be prescribed? There are a number of situations in which this procedure is necessary:

• A dental examination reveals pockets of caries, and it is necessary to determine how deep the lesion has spread. An X-ray of the jaw will allow you to see how damaged the roots of baby teeth are and whether the rudiments of permanent teeth are affected by caries.
• During examination, anomalies were revealed in the dentition. For example, milk teeth erupted with displacement, rotation, tilt, and so on. An X-ray of the jaw
  will allow you to see the location of the rudiments of permanent teeth, predict possible pathology of eruption and begin to plan orthodontic treatment.
• Various types of malocclusion have been diagnosed. That is, if the lower jaw protrudes forward and overlaps the front one, or, conversely, the lower jaw is pushed deeper than it should be normally, an x-ray will help identify the degree of development of the pathology and understand its causes.
• After the loss of milk teeth, the eruption of permanent teeth is not observed. It may not happen often, but it happens. The most common cause of this problem is the position of the permanent tooth buds too high. X-rays will allow you to see exactly at what height the teeth are currently located and predict the approximate time of their eruption.
• Suspicion of an abscess - an x-ray will help translate this suspicion into an accurate diagnosis or refute it.
• Various jaw injuries. To assess how much a blow, bruise, fall or other mechanical impact has affected the integrity of the teeth and jaw bones, an x-ray may also be prescribed.

What does an X-ray of a child’s jaw with baby teeth show?

An X-ray of a child’s jaw before the loss of temporary baby teeth will show:

• the degree of reduction in dental mass in the event of inflammatory gum disease;
• changes in the roots of teeth;
• foci of caries, including those located in the interdental space;
• abscesses;
• anomalies in the structure of the upper and lower dentition;
• location of permanent tooth buds.

Features of baby teeth

The structure of baby teeth is similar to permanent teeth: in the jaw there are such types of teeth as incisors, canines, premolars and molars - all like in adults. Only their number differs: for children – 20, for adults – 32.

Baby teeth are formed in the sixth week while still in the womb. After the birth of a child, teeth erupt at about 6 months and grow in by 3-4 years. The exact age depends on the individual's rate of development.

However, there are some differences from permanent teeth:

• baby teeth have long roots that are easily absorbed over time
• greater distance between teeth - so that falling out for replacement is easy
• thinner and more delicate enamel
• softer dentin and surrounding tissues

Methodology

There are several ways to take an X-ray of a child's jaw or lower skull.

Intraoral radiography

Intraoral x-rays are carried out using special dental devices, which help take targeted images of one or more adjacent teeth (one to four). Such an examination allows us to assess the condition of the hard tissues of primary and permanent teeth, periodontal and periodontal tissues, jaw bones for the diagnosis of retention and follicular cysts, oncological tumors, anomalies in the location and number of erupted teeth and rudiments, etc.

When performing a study, a blank of x-ray film is placed in a special paper envelope, which is inserted into the oral cavity and placed in the area of ​​the desired tooth. The X-ray machine is brought to the face from the outside and placed as close as possible to the tooth/teeth being examined.

In pediatric dentistry, intraoral radiography is often prescribed to diagnose pathologies of the palatal suture. Although, it must be said that if we are talking about a very young patient (2-3 years), it is quite difficult to carry out such an x-ray, because it can be difficult to explain to a child why it is needed and that it will not hurt.

Extraoral methods

The most common method of performing extraoral x-rays is a panoramic photograph, or orthopantomogram. In such photographs, you can see in a direct projection the entire upper and lower dentition, as well as the structure of the patient’s jaw. Orthopantomogram images allow you to make a detailed interpretation and description of the condition of teeth and gums, to recognize even hidden pathologies or those that have just begun to develop (for example, periodontal disease, caries).

You can see what a panoramic x-ray of a child’s jaw looks like in a photo on the Internet.

X-ray safety

There is often a belief among patients and parents that dental x-rays, and in particular, children’s panoramic dental photographs, are harmful to health and “unnecessarily expose them to radiation.”

Of course, you shouldn’t do an X-ray thoughtlessly and without the appropriate doctor’s testimony. Ionizing radiation affects the body, but only in large doses.

When X-rays are taken for children at NovaDent, the amount of radiation is strictly dosed and does not exceed the permissible level, so you don’t have to worry about the health safety of the procedure.

Contact NovaDent pediatric dentistry for a consultation. Prices for x-rays in our clinic are quite affordable and start from 450 rubles.

Expert of the article you are reading: Lapshina Maria Aleksandrovna Dentist, pediatrician

21 years
Clinical experience

Krasnogorsk

Moscow region, Krasnogorsk, Podmoskovny Boulevard, 5

+7

Free consultation with this specialist

How safe is an X-ray of a child's jaw?

X-rays of the jaw for children, including infants, are a relatively safe procedure. The radiation exposure during imaging is negligible and cannot negatively affect the further development of the dental system. At the same time, it must be said that taking X-rays without indications, for prevention, is still not worth it.

Contraindications for

Contraindications to X-raying a child’s jaw are:

• unsatisfactory general condition of the child;
• bleeding;
• pathologies in the thyroid gland.

When is an X-ray prescribed for a child?

If X-rays in adolescents and adults do not cause concern, then X-ray diagnostics of young children worries many parents.
The devices used in modern medicine do not harm the body, but the study is still carried out only if indicated. Dental X-rays are recommended for children for the following indications.

1. Deep caries. The procedure is carried out to determine the lesions and affected area. The image allows the specialist to assess whether the roots and rudiments of permanent teeth are damaged.
2. Developmental anomalies. X-rays make it possible to determine the causes and characteristics of irregular teething, as well as delays in their growth.
3. Control of permanent teeth. Diagnostics allows you to see all the features of the rudiments of permanent teeth, as well as predict the period of their eruption and identify possible pathologies.
4. Malocclusion. X-ray is the most accurate diagnostic method for determining abnormalities in tooth growth and jaw position.
5. Abscess. The study is aimed at confirming or refuting the development of an abscess if signs are present.
6. Jaw injuries. In case of mechanical damage, an x-ray is taken to assess the damage to bone tissue that has occurred.

X-rays are often used to monitor the treatment being carried out. Diagnostics is also used when restoring teeth using temporary prosthetics or installing orthodontic structures.

Decoding the results

The finished images must be deciphered by a specialist. It is possible that several doctors will be present during the decoding, for example a radiologist

, dentist, otolaryngologist.

The photographs are used to assess how symmetrically the teeth and jaws are positioned. If a focus of any pathology is detected, it is important to determine its exact location and size.

When diagnosing a jaw fracture, you need to determine its complexity, consider whether there are fragments and how they are located.

If a tumor-like neoplasm is detected, it is important to assess its size, consider its boundaries (clear or blurred), and determine its location.

Types of X-rays for examining children

Examinations of the teeth and jaw may require different areas to be examined or results obtained from different types of images. Depending on the indications for x-rays, a certain type of procedure is used.

Types of x-rays of a child's teeth and jaw.

1. Sight shot. Obtaining an image that displays a separate area (one or two teeth with closely spaced soft tissues).
2. Panoramic shot. An image showing a large area of ​​the dentition along with the jaw bone and the rudiments of molars.
3. 3D pictures. A modern method of obtaining three-dimensional images of the upper and lower jaw.

There are also differences in technique. There are internal or external diagnostic methods. If it is necessary to obtain a targeted image, internal x-rays are used; in other cases, the external method is used.

Everything you wanted to know about dental x-rays for children

X-ray is a fairly serious procedure. Therefore, many parents are concerned about its safety for children and cases when they really cannot do without it. Our dentist will answer the most important of these questions.

Are x-rays safe for dental treatment?

“Zubrenok” uses modern X-ray equipment from a leading global manufacturer, so you can safely agree to have your child x-rayed. The baby's health will not suffer from this at all. To obtain an X-ray of baby teeth (even repeated ones), minimal doses of radiation are required.

What dose of radiation do I consider acceptable for a child? Is it really harmless to health?

The legislation sets maximum standards for human exposure per year. If they are followed, the child’s body will not be harmed. To obtain such a radiation rate, you will have to be examined with a visiograph 400 times a year, examined with a CT scan 20 times over the same period, and panoramic digital photographs taken 80 times. When treating primary teeth, no qualified dentist will need such a number of x-rays. When contacting Zubryonok, rest assured that our doctor will prescribe exactly as many procedures as are really necessary.

At what age can children have X-rays taken?

X-ray diagnostics are officially approved even for newborns. in this case, the maximum dosage will be the same as for an adult (1000 μSv per year).

What types of dental X-ray examinations are carried out at Zubrenok?

Our dentists can refer your child for the following types of x-ray examinations:

• OPTG (stands for “orthopantomogram”). During one procedure, the patient receives radiation of about 40 μSv;
• a targeted image, for which the patient will receive a small amount of radiation. 1-2 teeth – up to 5 µSv. This procedure can be performed by people of any age without restrictions.

Why is a targeted photo taken and what does it show?

In our pediatric dentistry clinic, targeted images are taken using a high-precision visiograph, which guarantees minimal radiation exposure. The dentist may refer you for this procedure to obtain detailed information about the condition of one or more primary teeth.

On a targeted x-ray you can see:

• what kind of caries (deep or medium) the tooth is affected by;
• what exactly develops in a small patient – ​​periodontitis or pulpitis;
• hidden cavities affected by caries that cannot be detected during a routine examination;
• how well the root canals were filled (if the child already has permanent teeth).

What is OPTG, what are its features and advantages?

Unlike a conventional x-ray, an orthopantomogram allows dentists of various specializations (general practitioners, orthodontists, surgeons) to assess the condition of the dental system as a whole, identify wisdom teeth, impacted and supernumerary teeth, the condition of bone tissue, etc. This information is necessary to understand the causes of dental anomalies and draw up a treatment plan.

Can X-rays be prescribed “just in case”?

The Zubryonok Pediatric Dentistry Clinic strictly adheres to current legislation in its activities. SanPin prohibits unreasonably sending for x-rays and our dentists know this. To prescribe an x-ray for diagnostic purposes there must be reasons and clinical indications.

If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. Enroll your child in “Zubrenok” to preserve the health and beauty of his teeth!