There are a lot of people who do not want to get dental x-rays taken, primarily because they are afraid the x-rays will cause harm in their bodies. If you feel this way, you should understand that x-rays are extremely safe, and there might actually be risks involved if you decline getting x-rays of your teeth. Here are some of the risks.

You might leave small cavities untreated

Even though your dentist is trained to spot cavities on teeth, there are times when cavities are simply too small to find or too hidden to see. If this is the case in your mouth and you choose not to get x-rays, you might end up leaving small cavities untreated, simply because the dentist could not see them due to their size or location. With x-rays, you would not have this risk. If the dentist did not spot them while looking inside your mouth, he or she would find them on the x-rays and would then proceed to look inside your mouth to see exactly what is going on. Leaving even small cavities untreated is not a good thing, as decay spreads and causes bad breath.

You will not find out about wisdom teeth issues

The x-rays your dentist takes can reveal the condition, location, and size of your wisdom teeth, which is important if you are a teenager, young adult, or a person who is older and still has wisdom teeth. If you do not get the x-rays taken, your dentist will not be able to warn you about potential problems with these teeth.

You will not know the condition of your jawbone

The other thing that x-rays show is a person's jawbone. You might not think this is important, but it really is, as your jawbone is connected to your teeth. If your jawbone is losing mass, it could be a sign of gum disease, and x-rays can help dentists find this problem. If you choose to skip the x-rays, you may lose out on learning a lot about the health of your jawbone, mouth, gums, and teeth.

If you want to protect your health and teeth, talk to your dentist about the importance of x-rays. By discussing this subject, you are likely to see that getting x-rays of your teeth each year is safer and has fewer risks than choosing not to get them. You can talk to a dentist today by contacting a preventive dentistry clinic in your area.