Dental X-rays are something that some parents actively avoid, even though they use a microscopic amount of radiation that's been shown to be safe. Whether you're trying to save a little cash or just don't want to bother with dental X-rays for your kids, you might want to rethink your decision. Dental X-rays can help to discover issues with children's teeth long before they become a bigger problem, saving your child from potential pain. Here's what dental X-rays can spot in your child's mouth.

Tooth Resorption

Tooth resorption is an unusual and somewhat rare condition that typically targets children and young adolescents. The mechanism behind tooth resorption is actually a normal one. Baby teeth are designed so that once they're ready to get out of the way of an adult tooth, their roots are absorbed so the tooth can release. However, this isn't supposed to happen with adult teeth. Unfortunately, with tooth resorption, it does. Think of tooth resorption as an unusual cavity growing from the inside out. It's not due to your child's oral health habits, and it's not noticeable from the outside until it grows so large that it becomes visible. The only way to detect it reliably is with dental X-rays.

Improperly Growing Teeth

A more common issue with children is that they may have an adult tooth coming in the wrong way. Believe it or not, adult teeth don't always do what they should and move in properly. In some cases, adult teeth develop facing in the wrong direction, which can send them 'growing in' sideways or even upside down. Some companies, like https://www.vanyodentistry.com/, know that this can cause all kinds of dental trauma if it isn't discovered early on, as the teeth can impact sensitive tissues or shove other teeth out of the way. Spotting this problem earlier will allow your dentist to tackle the problem before your child experiences significant pain.

Missing Teeth

Finally, if your child has never had dental X-rays, you won't know until they reach a certain age in late childhood if all of their adult teeth are actually there and ready to move in. Believe it or not, some children simply don't develop all of the teeth that they should. While this will ultimately mean bridging the gap between teeth at some point in the future, in the interim it can still cause problems.

For example, if a tooth is missing between several other teeth, those teeth can start to crowd inwards, coming in crookedly because there's nothing taking up that space. If this problem is caught early on, steps can be taken to keep the neighboring teeth coming in correctly, which may save your child from needing braces as an adult.