Why Kids Need X-Rays Too

As family people, we understand why most parents are worried about how much radiation their kids are exposed to. Dr. Gabriela Duraes and the rest of our team will do everything we can to make treatment safe, comfortable, and effective for your children.

To ensure that we give your kids the level of care they deserve, we require that they have a few x-rays, now and then. X-rays just aren't something we can skip because they allow us to see problems in-between and inside teeth that we'd never notice otherwise.

Your child may need x-rays for the following reasons:

• Check on normal tooth development
• Plan for orthodontic treatment
• Determine the presence of decay and how to treat it
• Find out if there are any teeth that are congenitally missing

Unless there is a reason to suspect a problem, your child might not need an x-ray until he or she is six or seven years old. It all depends on your child's unique oral health situation. Once they have plenty of teeth in their smiles and can sit still for an x-ray, we encourage having x-rays once a year to check for decay.

Dental x-rays are safe for children. We use them only as needed and provide a very low dose for little ones. Children have smaller mouths and bones that don't require much x-ray intensity. They also have small bodies which can only handle so much radiation energy. Additional precautions we follow here at Blooming Smiles include radiation-blocking lead aprons to protect the body.

Find out more about how x-rays are an essential part of our treatment plan for pediatric dental patients here at Blooming Smiles. Call us today for an appointment.

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