Caries diagnostics in the interdental spaces
The space between the teeth is predisposed to the development of caries, as it is difficult to clean there and food remains are often overlooked. The main reason for this malicious, because unnoticed, form of caries is the insufficient use of dental floss or interdental brushes. Especially in the posterior tooth area it is hardly possible to see, so that even for the dentist usually nothing is visible.
For this reason there are special x-rays, so-called bite wing images, which only show the crown portion of the teeth and the interdental spaces. Other x-rays, such as OPG or single tooth films, are not suitable for caries diagnosis of the interdental spaces because they cause distortions and overlapping. When evaluating the bite wing radiograph, it is often observed that two adjacent teeth have a caries lesion, which share a tooth space.
This means that two teeth are carious and therefore two fillings are needed for therapy. For this reason, it is advisable to have these x-rays taken regularly at the dental check-up (about every two years or more often depending on the patient’s caries risk) to be able to assess the interdental spaces. The radiograph is usually a service provided by the health insurance company.
