Why Do I Need a Radiographic Image if Everything is Already Visible?
Patients often hear from their dentist: "We will refer you for a panoramic image/status/CT scan to develop a further treatment plan." And immediately, the question arises: "Isn't the caries visible? Can't you see that I'm missing a tooth? But I'm telling you, it hurts here."
It's not that simple. Let's figure it out.
Radiographic examination of patients is one of the most common diagnostic methods for most diseases of the teeth and jaws.
When determining the indications for radiographic examination in dentistry, a range of factors should be considered. It's important to note that more than 50% of a tooth's area is not visible during oral examination. Therefore, they can only be studied radiographically. In the presence of tooth caries, this study helps to identify proximal and subgingival lesions, secondary caries under fillings and crowns, and provides valuable information about the relationship between the carious defect and the tooth cavity, the presence of caries in deep fissures, and the cervical area.
For endodontic treatment, radiographic studies are necessary to determine the number of root canals, their curvature and patency, and in some cases, to fix the working length. The quality control of root canal fillings is also an important aspect not to be overlooked.
In cases of traumatic injuries, tumors, tumor-like diseases, cysts, deformations, and systemic bone lesions, radiographic studies are the main method of primary diagnosis and control and assessment of the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment, the reversibility of the process, detection of complications, etc.
Accurate diagnosis of periodontal diseases cannot be carried out without a radiographic image. Most subgingival deposits are located under the gum line, so a diagnostic panoramic image is necessary for the dentist to see where exactly they are located and to carry out a quality professional cleaning.
Computed tomography (CT) allows for a cross-sectional layered image of any area of the human body, including the skull. Modern CT scanners quickly scan the body part under examination and can recreate an overview picture with simultaneous representation of bones, teeth, and soft tissues. CT is used in the diagnosis of diseases of the facial skull, the dental-jaw system, pathology of the temporomandibular joint, bone fractures, tumors, cysts, pathology of the salivary glands, planning for implantation, etc. Its high informational capacity is combined with a low level of radiation exposure for the patient.
