When Was the Last Time You Got Dental X-Rays?

There’s still time to use your insurance plan’s dental x-ray benefit in 2015

Have you been going to the dentist at least once a year like a good patient? If so, you should be up to date on your dental x-rays. But if not, the last x-rays in your patient file could be really old. You might not even remember when they were last taken!

If this is the case, we recommend coming in to California Dental Group for a cleaning & exam complete with dental x-rays. We are always happy to welcome new patients, no matter how long it may have been since your last dental visit.

Now you might wonder…

…How Frequently Are X-Rays Really Needed?

It really depends on you. If you have excellent oral hygiene and are generally in good oral health, you may not need full-mouth x-rays more than once every 3 to 5 years. However, if you have lots of dental problems like majorly decayed teeth, large fillings, crowns, bridges, or missing teeth, your dentist may recommend getting full-mouth x-rays more often.

Bite-wing x-rays, which are used just for your back teeth, are typically recommended once per year for all patients, to help keep tabs on cavities that may be developing in these hard-to-clean areas.

Other Uses of Dental X-Rays

In addition to helping to identify cavities, dental x-rays can also be used to detect:

• Abscesses or cysts
• Bone loss
• Cancerous and non-cancerous tumors
• Developmental abnormalities
• Poor tooth and root positions
• Problems inside a tooth or below the gum line

Use Your Insurance Coverage Before Year’s End

Most dental insurance plans include a provision for dental x-rays every few years. Even if you are not aware of any specific issues with your teeth, you should still consider using this benefit. After all, you’ve already paid your premiums for the year. If you haven’t gotten any dental work done (besides your annual cleaning & exam) you may be just barely breaking even in terms of the benefits taken in exchange for the cost of your premiums.

We encourage you to check your coverage now to see:

• If dental x-rays are covered
• If your plan has already hit the annual maximum or not
• How much (if any) your co-pay would be

With this information in hand you will be prepared to decide if you want to use your x-ray benefit or not. Our care coordinators will be happy to help you with this process and answer any other questions you may have about dental insurance.