Radiology in Dentistry
Radiology is a medical branch that diagnoses patients after taking images of parts of their body. X-rays use radiation to take pictures of inside the body (bones and soft tissues). They cannot see through metals, which appears on the scan as bright areas. There are several types of x-rays, which we'll be finding out today (but only the ones used by dentists)!
There are two major dental x-rays: periapical and bitewing x-rays. A periapical x-ray shows a small section of the teeth and captures the whole tooth, from the crown to the root and its surrounding bone (either the upper or the lower teeth; not both). It is usually a better method for detecting problems in the roots or the surrounding bone structure. Meanwhile, a bitewing x-ray displays the lower and upper teeth of a section of the mouth (shows one specific section). The term 'bitewing' comes from how the patients have to bite down on the x-ray film in order to take a picture. It is commonly to catch decays in the teeth or any gum diseases.
Other x-rays are also used, for example, an orthopantomogram (OPG) gives a wide view of the lower and upper jaws, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is for the soft tissues of the mouth, and a computed tomography (CT scan) gives a detailed image of the internal body by taking a series of x-rays from different angles. A cone beam computed tomography (cone beam CT or CBCT), a variation of the CT scan, is used by rotating around the patient and capturing images using a cone-shaped beam. These are typically used when regular dental or facial x-rays are not sufficient and can also provide a three-dimensional (3D) image of the teeth, soft tissues, and bone structures.
(A bitewing x-ray; I got one from the clinic🩻😁
The black cover -it's flappy even though you can't see it from the image- is where you're supposed to bite down on)
(A little unboxing🔓📦; it consists of the x-ray film, a metal sheet, and paper that protects the film)
Healing Fractures
When the bone is fractured, two processes can be used to heal them: primary (direct) or secondary (indirect) healing. A primary healing process is when the fractured bones are fixed together by compression, in which their bony ends are joined and healed without forming any calluses. It tends to be a preferred method of bone healing than indirect healing. However, the more common method is the secondary healing, in which case the fracture is healed by forming calluses.
A greenstick fracture is when the bone is not broken into pieces but is bent enough to crack it. This happens to young children usually below the age of 10 because their bones aren't as thick or strong as adults (they have softer bones). It is usually straightened by immobilizing the bone using a cast (keeps it from moving) for around six weeks to heal it completely.
A patient came about 10 minutes before I usually leave the clinic. From how the back teeth (the molars) were flatter than the other teeth, he had a habit of grinding his teeth in his sleep (a subconscious habit). There were quite a few cavities in his upper teeth. The black holes themselves looked small from the outside, but as it turns out, some of it were deeper than it looked- he required fillings for some of them. For one of the cavities, digging the black parts out and cleansing it until there was a hole filled with nothing took almost 20 minutes. Appearance is not at all as it seems, after all.
I had checked the window several times to see if my car was waiting for me outside, and even though it was, I thought it would probably be better for me to finish watching at least one filling. The doctor agreed, and I was sure my mom would prefer that as well. I just hadn't expected it to take so long. I stayed there until that cavity was done with the filling- 40 minutes had already passed since the patient came. My car had been waiting outside for 30 minutes, and I decided that was enough time. Besides, when I came back home, my legs were sore from standing up for 40 minutes, getting on tiptoes for better view every few minutes. It was still an enjoyable experience, and I learned quite a lot on this day, from types of x-rays and healing fractures to how long getting a filling done can take😂👍
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