Why should this be one of the first skills to learn in a dental department?
Should it be ok to do dentistry without dental radiographs?
In order to do our job correctly and help our patients properly, we need to do dental radiographs. As the story goes «we can only see the tip of the iceberg». On almost all of our canine and feline dentition we can only visualize approximately 1/3 of the tooth surface. And even though we can see the crown of the tooth this does not mean that we can see inside it. For this we need dental radiographs as well. When it comes to extractions, can we save it or does it have to go? When it has to go, do we do post-op radiographs? Do we need to?

One common quote might be: while extracting teeth well I can see that the root is nice and even, so I got all of it out, or it was so loose anyways, so its no need. Or it takes too much time, doing extra images. In our day and age we know better, we have seen fractured alveoli, fractured mandibles, symphyseal separation, etc. We need to do postop radiographs, even though your vet is the best, things can happen. We need to document that we did everything we should have done. When documented we know, and can be confident that everything was in order when we were done with the procedure. When we do radiographs on all our patients all the time, we will get better at it (and so the argument of it takes too long disappears).

We need diagnostic radiographs, not perfect radiographs. As long as all the teeth are documented you are good. And we should be able to separate the roots on our 3 rooted teeth! First survey images cat: 8 images needed. Dog: 8 to 10 depending on the size of film/sensor and size of dog. Extra will be done if needed. Dental radiographs are in 2D format - in order to get a better overview of what we are looking at additional images might be required. When performing dental radiographs or radiographs of any kind, we need to keep our own safety in mind. The supplier of your equipment should be able to provide you with what their equipment requires or local laws and regulation, depending on where you are on our planet. As a general precaution you should always be at a distance of at least 3m in front of the tube (but don’t), and about 135 degrees out on either side. When using a handheld device it is recommended to use PPE, as lead apron, gloves and thyroid shield. A personal dosimeter will also give you measurements of your mmSv dose and when there is need for any changes in protocol. One should follow manufacturer’s recommendation for servicing the equipment in order for it to work properly and safe.