WHAT YOUR TEETH LOOK LIKE

X-rays

Dentists use x-rays to detect oral health problems in the areas they can't see.

X-rays show the different parts of the tooth, like the enamel, dentine, pulp and the root of the tooth. 

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Teeth with fillings

The x-rays below show teeth with fillings in them - they're the white bits that look like they have been painted on.
These fillings are stopping holes that have just got into the dentine.

Because the holes in these teeth were caught early, only small fillings were needed. However, if holes are left to grow bigger, they will go deeper into the tooth and larger fillings are needed. Large holes can be prevented by going to the dentist regularly and by regular oral health care.

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Where is the decay?

If you look at the x-ray below you can see a hole where there is a darkened area of the tooth.

See if you can spot the tooth with a hole in it in one of the two below x-rays:

Clue: It's in the right x-ray, and there is a dark patch inside the tooth.

Move your mouse over the x-ray to find out if you have guessed right.

As you can see the holes are quite deep in both the teeth shown above. The decay goes beyond the enamel into the dentine, quite close to the pulp (the darkest bit in the middle of the tooth). These teeth will require bigger fillings than the fillings that were shown above.

In the set of x-rays above you might also have noticed another dark patch on one of the teeth in the upper left of the second x-ray. That shows what is left of a baby tooth, with an adult tooth coming through under it.