X-Rays

Can you tell me more about X-Rays?
Sure, here are some common questions:

What are the benefits of a dental X-ray examination?
Many diseases of the teeth and surrounding tissues cannot be seen when your dentist examines your mouth. An x-ray examination may reveal:

• small areas of decay between the teeth or below existing restorations (fillings);
• infections in the bone;
• periodontal (gum) disease;
• abscesses or cysts;
• developmental abnormalities;
• some types of tumors.

Are Dental X-Rays Dangerous?
Some people do not want cavity detecting x-rays because they have heard that radiation is dangerous. They are correct: too much radiation is a potential problem. In fact, dental x-rays pose very little danger. An EXTREMELY small amount of radiation required to obtain a dental x-ray. You could combine ALL the radiation of a baseline set of dental x-rays together, and still be exposed to less radiation as compared to one chest x-ray. Dental x-rays are certainly worth their diagnostic value in finding undetected and untreated dental problems.

How Do Dental X-Rays Compare To Other Sources Of Radiation?
We are exposed to radiation every day from various sources. The Sun is the best example. Even as you read this, you are being exposed to normal "background radiation" from the sun. A dental x-ray is equivalent to about three days of background radiation. Extremely low doses give tremendous ability to diagnose areas of your mouth that just would not be visible otherwise.

Other normal exposures to radiation include appliances in our homes (like smoke detectors and television screens), some minerals in the soil, and airplane travel at high altitudes. This link has some radiation exposure figures for comparison.