Dental X-rays…Why do we need them and how safe are they? One of the most asked about topics during a patients appointment are X-rays. Do I really need them? Are they safe? Can’t I just go ahead and skip them? These questions are understandable. Radiation in any form has an effect on your body and we want to help you understand the reasons we take X-rays, how we determine how often and which kind are needed and the steps we take to keep you safe during this procedure.
First, why are we taking X-rays? Very simply, to make sure you’re healthy. Unfortunately, Superman did not bestow his X-ray vision to dentists, therefore we can’t prove there isn’t a problem until we can see clearly the entire tooth and its surrounding bone and ligament spaces. Many patients state “But I’m not having any pain, why do I still need X-rays?”. In general, we are looking for cavities, periodontal disease and cancer. For the most part, patients don’t feel any of these conditions until the stakes are high and tooth loss, or worse, is imminent. Much like having a physical with your doctor requires bloodwork to assess the overall health of your body, dentists and hygienists require diagnostic X-rays to ensure your dental health is stable.
Second, who needs X-rays and how often do they need to be taken? Anyone at risk for cavities, periodontal disease and cancer needs diagnostic X-rays on some sort of regular interval. Currently, the ADA recommends healthy adults with no risk for cavities (having not had a cavity in the last three or more years) have diagnostic X-rays taken every 12-36 months. Most adults and children do not fall in this category, most are considered at moderate to high risk since they have not passed the 3-year mark of being cavity-free. Therefore, it is standard practice to have 4 posterior bitewing X-rays taken every 12 months and a full mouth series of Xrays taken every 3-5 years. Again, if you have a history of cavities, periodontal disease or oral cancer, X-rays may be recommended more frequently to monitor your dental health more closely.
Lastly, what is the risk to our patients and what are we doing to keep you safe during your procedure? As a rule, the dental community follows the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. We use the least amount of radiation possible and individually evaluate each patient for necessity of X-rays.
Beyond that, we follow a guideline of physical barriers to keep you safe. Every time you are exposed to radiation, we will cover your abdomen and thyroid with a lead vest and collar. These are to protect any highly-reproducing organs from radiation exposure, as they are the most susceptible to damage given their high cell-turnover. These include your thyroid gland and reproductive organs. Please be sure to tell your dentist or hygienist if you may be pregnant, as we generally avoid any type of radiation around pregnant women.
The dose of radiation you will be exposed to is extremely low, especially with the advancement of X-ray technology and digital imaging. The typical yearly dental X-rays performed will give you a dose equal to less than a day’s worth of natural background radiation (0.005 mSv). Natural background radiation exposes most people to approximately 3.1 mSv/year. A chest X-ray will give an exposure of 0.1 mSv and a Chest CT scan will give a dose of 7 mSv. To put that in perspective, simply enjoying the Colorado sunshine is going to expose a person to more radiation than dental X-rays ever will.
Our goal is to educate our patients so that they not only understand our methodology of diagnosing and treating dental disease, but so they feel comfortable with all the procedures involved.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have at your next dental appointment. We look forward to seeing you at your next checkup visit!
S. Paige Tscherpel, RDH, BSDH