Getting traditional dental x-rays can take several minutes. A thick paper tab is placed into your mouth, which you’ll be asked to bite down on. Most patients find that dental x-rays are completely painless and don’t inflict any level of discomfort.
In some cases, dentists use intraoral x-rays, as well as extra-oral x-rays that snap images of the face, jaw and skull. Extra-oral x-rays are typically used to identify impacted teeth, such as wisdom teeth.