Most dental disease in pets hides below the gumline. Dental X-rays are how we find it.
Yorktown Heights, NY • Dogs, Cats & Exotics • See our Google reviews
Sixty percent of a tooth is under the gum. A tooth can look perfect on the surface while the root is abscessed, fractured, or eating into bone. Without dental X-rays, we’d be guessing. Add them to a dental cleaning, and we can actually treat what’s wrong.
What Are Dental X-Rays?
Dental X-rays (intraoral radiographs) capture detailed images of each tooth and the jawbone supporting it. Taken under anesthesia during dental cleanings, they reveal root abnormalities, bone loss, resorptive lesions, fractures, and retained deciduous roots that are invisible to the eye.
Why Are Dental X-Rays Important?
Full-Mouth Diagnosis: Visual exam catches surface problems. X-rays catch hidden ones, often the ones causing the most pain.
Feline Resorptive Lesions: A common, painful cat condition that almost always requires X-rays to confirm and plan treatment.
Accurate Extractions: X-rays guide clean extractions with less trauma, by showing root shape, proximity to nerves, and bone density.
Documented Baseline: Standardized dental radiographs create a baseline we compare against at future cleanings.
What to Expect at a Dental X-Ray Appointment
Before Your Visit
Dental X-rays are performed during anesthetized dental cleanings. Pre-anesthetic bloodwork is usually run in the days leading up to the appointment.
During the Appointment
Anesthesia: Your pet is safely sedated for both comfort and image quality. Intraoral sensors can’t be positioned on an awake animal.
Full-Mouth Series: Most patients get a complete set of radiographs, covering every tooth.
Treatment in the Same Visit: Findings inform extractions, bonded sealants, or other treatments performed during the same anesthesia.
Follow-Up and Aftercare
A written summary of dental findings, treatments performed, and any images needed. A home-care plan covering brushing, water additives, or dental diets follows.
How Often Should Your Pet Have Dental X-Rays?
- Puppies & kittens: Not routine. Taken if a developmental issue is suspected (retained baby teeth, malocclusion).
- Adult pets: Full-mouth X-rays at every dental cleaning, typically annually depending on the pet.
- Senior pets: Every dental cleaning, since bone loss and tooth resorption accelerate with age.
Schedule Dental X-Rays in Yorktown Heights, NY
Heights Hospital for Animals performs full-mouth dental X-rays on every dental cleaning for dogs and cats in Yorktown Heights, NY. It’s how we find what we can’t see.
