It seems like my child is getting a lot of x-rays during their treatment. Are all of those xrays needed?
Well, we think so. You orthodontist does xrays to make sure that his treatment plan is going to work properly and that you child will not develop any jaw or gum problems later on. The panoromic x-ray and the cepaholometric x-rays allow to look for weaknesses in the jaw or any shallow roots, so that you child can avoid a painful TMJ problem or other difficulty later on. The bitewing xrays look for caries (cavaties). If you child has a cavity under his or her braces, the cavity will grow during orthodontic treatment, and your child may get a tooth ache. We would never have our treatment done by an orthodontist who does not do the xrays. It is just looking for trouble to avoid them. • Is there anything which can be done to minimize the x-ray exposure? People sell xray shields to help minimize the xray exposure. The precision xray shield attaches to the orthodontists xray machine, and collimates the xrays so the xrays shine on on your childs teeth gums and cheeks and not elsewhere on their
