Preparation for research

Included in dental practice, radiography provides indispensable assistance in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dental disease. Modern therapy of diseases of the dentition, a jaw defect, is unthinkable without radiography, and the use of digital visiographs in everyday practice raises the quality of dentistry.
X-rays are performed in a specially equipped room using an X-ray machine.

When performing any methods of radiography of the dentoalveolar apparatus, in order to exclude dynamic blurring of the image obtained in the image, the indispensable and most important condition is the complete immobility of the patient in the desired position. For this purpose, it is necessary to ensure the stabilization of the patient using a comfortable chair with a fixed headrest and armrests. Usually the picture is taken 3-4 seconds after the command: "do not breathe."

In outpatient settings, intraoral close-focus contact radiography is most often used.

X-rays are of great help to the doctor in the treatment of root canals of teeth (their direction, degree of filling, patency are determined by an x-ray), determining the state of the tissues surrounding the root of the tooth, identifying pathological processes in the bone tissue, its structure.

General rules for patient preparation

1. Psychological preparation. The patient must understand the importance of the upcoming study, must be confident in the safety of the upcoming study.
2. Before conducting an examination, care must be taken to make the organ more accessible during the examination. The patient needs to brush his teeth, do not smoke. Special preparation for the study is not required.
3. The only contraindication is pregnancy, the presence of which should be reported to the doctor.

Dangers and Complications

The biological effect of low doses of ionizing radiation associated with X-ray studies does not cause direct radiation reactions. As with any x-ray examination, there is an extremely small, quite acceptable exposure to x-rays.

Radiation safety of patients is ensured in the following ways

– knowledge by a dentist of optimal algorithms for examining patients with various types of pathology,
- knowledge by the dentist of the values of radiation exposure with various methods of X-ray examination,
– shielding of the vital and highly sensitive organs of the patient with the help of an X-ray protective collar,
— diaphragming of the irradiation field,
— reduction to a minimum of time of research.