Some of our patients have safety related questions when it comes to dental x-rays. They may wonder if x-rays are safe and necessary or if they could potentially cause cancer. We want you, as the patient, to be reassured that what we are doing is safe! Today, Dr. Kuiper explains the effects of radiation from dental x-rays. Watch today’s video to find out if you should be taking x-rays, and how often they are truly necessary.

We use many different types of x-rays depending on what we are looking for. Several types of x-rays we may use to diagnose problems may include but are not limited to: panoramic or full mouth series, bitewing x-rays, or a periapical in order to look at the structure of the tooth and the root beneath the gum line. We may use these x-rays to detect cavities between the teeth or check the bone around the teeth to make sure everything is healthy and won’t cause any problems for you in the future. We can also use them to look at your jaw joint and even your sinuses! The x-rays we use, depending on what we’re looking for, vary in the amount of radiation to which the patient is exposed. We have great news though! As technology has improved, the amount of radiation has actually decreased dramatically. In fact, you’ll actually be exposed to more radiation by living in a brick house than you will for receiving a year’s worth of dental x-rays. You also get more radiation from eating a banana than you do for a year’s worth of dental x-rays! How crazy! This should really put into perspective how minuscule the amount of radiation a patient receives from x-rays is in the 21st century. While yes, there is radiation, the amount we are talking about is not nearly enough to cause any harm or cause cancer. Not only that, the amount of radiation we are talking about is perfectly safe. 

The other thing we want to discuss is looking at new patients or patients of record, who may want to limit x-rays. You are more than welcome to refuse x-rays. That is your right, as the patient. However, as a dental provider, we are held to a certain standard by the dental board in the state and the national dental organizations, and without doing the minimum amount of necessary x-rays, we can actually be held liable for things that we missed or weren’t able to diagnose by not having those x-rays. In order to protect our other patients by staying in business, we highly encourage patients to go through with the recommended x-rays. We want what is best for you and we do everything we can to provide the best care possible. We make the recommendations that we do in order to protect everyone from future pain and suffering! 

If you have any further questions or concerns about dental x-rays, please don’t hesitate to bring them up at your next appointment and we would love to have a conversation about what is best for your health. Or, contact us today and we can answer any immediate questions you might have.

Find us on YouTube!