How much radiation do you get from dental X-rays?

 Dental X-rays are an important part of a comprehensive checkup from your Winter Park dentist. They are an essential tool our doctor uses to help identify any dental issues before they bother you or worsen. In short, dental X-rays help the dentist and staff be more accurate and complete in your treatment and enable the team to be “preventative” in your treatment.

Many patients have reasonable concern over the radiation exposure from X-rays, specifically dental X-rays. Our office uses only the latest technology that minimizes radiation exposure to patients. Not only is modern X-ray technology significantly lower compared to the old “high powered” equipment that was used with film-based X-rays, but it’s so low that a full new patient exam at our office will have less radiation exposure than sitting on a single one-way flight from Los Angeles to New York. The American Dental Association recently announced that shielding (like lead aprons) from dental X-rays is no longer necessary / recommended.

"After reviewing nearly 100 articles, guidance documents, and regulations related to radiography, the expert panel determined thyroid and abdominal shielding during dental imaging is no longer recommended, and the use of these forms of protective shielding should be discontinued as routine practice. Evidence indicates modern digital radiography equipment and restricting the beam size only to the area that needs to be imaged better protect patients against radiation exposure to other parts of their body. Lead aprons and thyroid collars can also block the primary X-ray beam, preventing dentists from capturing the image they need.” 

Even with this new recommendation from the ADA, we still offer shielding aprons for both standing panoramic X-rays and aprons with thyroid collars for seated X-rays. We can even double up if you don’t mind the weight and want extra, extra shielding! Additionally, nothing will change in our effort to minimize the number of X-rays taken on any patient to only what’s necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis. You can also choose to skip X-rays at any time, provided you can confirm your understanding that our doctor won’t be able to diagnose any unseen areas without the X-rays. We have a specific consent form just for this.

How much radiation do I get from a dental X-ray? 

Radiation is commonly measured in millisieverts (mSv) to represent the amount of radiation absorbed by your body. Dental X-rays are relatively low, and modern equipment minimizes the amount of mSv you are exposed to.

Your annual average exposure to background radiation (just living on the Earth) is 3.6 mSv each year. A long flight also exposes you to radiation – about 0.03 to 0.05 mSv. 

A panoramic X-ray typically exposes a patient to about 0.007 mSv of radiation. A pair of bitewing X-rays would expose a patient to about 0.004 mSv. This translates to a new patient exam with complete X-rays, typically having less radiation exposure than a single cross-country flight. Subsequently, a 6-month check-up with two bitewing X-rays would equal less than a day's worth of background radiation.

How often should I get dental X-rays?

In short, at any modern dental office with digital equipment, we recommend dental X-rays whenever the dentist has a clinical recommendation for them. Typically, this would be during new patient exams, periodic check-ups, and for diagnosis of any acute dental problem.

There are essentially three types of dental X-rays:

• Panoramic X-rays: provide a broad "wide angle" view of all your teeth, jawbones, sinuses, and the surrounding skull. These X-rays show your local dentist all your teeth about each other and your jaw. They also assess proximity to sinuses, wisdom teeth, and TMJ "jaw joint" issues. Panoramic X-rays also provide an easy view of a child's adult teeth before they are visible.

• Full mouth/bitewing / periapical x-rays: provide a detailed "zoomed in" view of your teeth. These are taken one at a time for each area of the mouth to get a high-quality image the dentist can use to see details for diagnosing any dental issues.

• Cone Beam (CBCT) x-ray: representing the latest in modern dental x-ray technology, a CBCT x-ray is a 3D image that your local dentist can use to see the "depth" of a traditional 2D x-ray. This provides the ability to diagnose cracks in the tooth, plan for implant placement, and perform complex oral surgery. These are typically only performed by a specialist as required for major dental procedures.

Regarding frequency, panoramic X-rays are typically taken every 3-5 years or when a major dental procedure requires it. You will most commonly receive a panoramic X-ray during a new patient exam. However, suppose you are starting or finishing procedures such as braces, Invisalign, dental implants, or multiple extractions. In that case, it may be essential to have a panoramic X-ray taken by your dentist to get a complete picture of your current dental health.

Full mouth X-rays are typically taken during new patient exams. However, for bitewing x-rays, our Winter Park dentist recommends small ones in the back of the mouth during your regular 6-month check-ups. Since it's more prevalent for cavities to form in the back of the mouth, this guidance is a preventative measure to identify issues before they occur. Finally, these are the most common X-rays to be taken during a restorative or major dental procedure. Typical examples would be after a deep cleaning to confirm the area underneath the gums has been completely cleaned or to confirm a root canal was completed successfully.

If you have questions regarding our dental x-ray equipment or want to schedule an appointment, please give us a call or book an appointment online!