Is It Safe to Get Dental X-Rays?

Also known as dental imaging, dental X-rays are an essential part of your oral health. Taken during most dental visits, these images can help dentists identify any oral health issues in their early stages. Since dental imaging involves X-rays, patients often wonder whether it’s safe to have them done every year. To help calm your nerves, here are some facts about dental X-ray safety that explains how the process works and why radiation from dental X-Rays is safe.

Types of Dental X-Rays and Their Benefits

There are several types of dental X-rays, each of which provide your dentist with valuable insight into your oral health. Different types of dental X-ray imaging includes:

• Bite-Wing

  The most common type of dental X-ray, a bite-wing image provides a full view of both your upper and lower teeth, showing potential cavities and bone loss. It’s called a bite-wing X-ray because patients bite down on a wing-shaped tab during the imaging process.

• Panoramic

  Panoramic X-rays zoom out of the bite-wing view to show your entire mouth, including the entire top and bottom teeth, jaws and their surrounding structures. Panoramic images are used to create treatment plans and diagnose more serious dental issues, like impacted wisdom teeth or bone abnormalities.

• Periapical

  Periapical X-rays show your entire tooth from its crown to the root tip. This type of imaging can help identify infections and fractures.

• Occlusal

  Occlusal X-rays provide dentists a view from the top or bottom of your mouth, showing the arch, floor or roof. These images are used to help diagnose orthodontic issues, such as impacted teeth.

• 3D Images

  One of the newest types of dental imaging, a 3D dental X-ray takes hundreds of images in seconds to create a 3D model of your teeth, roots, bone structure and nerves.

Radiation From Dental X-Rays

X-ray images are created as electromagnetic radiation passes through your mouth. Before the procedure, a lead vest is placed over your chest and a small plastic holder is inserted into your mouth to help guide the X-ray machine, targeting the radiation to a specific area. As you bite down on the plastic guide, the X-ray radiation hits its target and releases energy that creates the image.

A single dose of radiation from a dental X-ray is about 0.5 millirem, which is the standard measurement for X-ray images. The annual limit of radiation exposure for most people is around 5,000 millirems, meaning occasional dental imagery is not harmful to your body.

Dental X-Ray Safety Measures

Dental X-rays are taken very seriously by dental professionals, who must abide by dental X-ray safety guidelines for the procedure. Set by the American Dental Association, these guidelines help limit your exposure to any unnecessary radiation. Modern dental X-rays target only the area that needs to be imaged, and you will be positioned properly to ensure the images are taken correctly on the first try.

Trust Orobitg Dentistry with Your Dental Imagery

Eddie Orobitg, D.M.D. has provided the Leesburg community quality dental health checkups and restorative procedures for more than 20 years. Schedule your appointment today by calling our office at 352-787-5919.