Dental x-rays are a common and invaluable tool for dentists to assess the health of your teeth and mouth. But how much radiation do they emit? And which type of x-ray gives the least amount of radiation? Let's find out what the facts reveal to answer each of these questions, and then you'll be better able to decide how safe dental x-rays are for you and your family.All digital x-rays can reduce the amount of exposure to radiation by up to 80% compared to traditional film. Radiation exposure from standard digital dental x-rays is minimal. Today, with the use of digital X-ray images, the radiation dose is even lower than ever.
In fact, compared to other natural and medical radiation sources, dental imaging generally produces a significantly lower dose.Dental x-rays are one of the lowest radiation treatments performed with doses of radiation. A routine exam, including four bites, measures approximately 0.005 mSv. That's about the same amount of radiation you would receive from the Sun on a normal day, or about the same amount of radiation exposure from a short 1 or 2 hour airplane flight. A panoramic dental x-ray, which covers the entire head, contains approximately twice that amount of radiation.The first and oldest unit of measurement is called REM.
An REM is a large unit, so exposure to medical radiation is generally measured in millirems (mrem). It takes a thousand millirems to make an REM. Most offices now use faster films that reduce radiation by a factor of 2 to 4; the overall average dose is approximately 2 mrem per intraoral film.The Apanorex film provides approximately 8 mrem. By comparison, according to the National Council for Radiological Protection and Measurement, the average person in the U.
S. UU. It is exposed to about 360 mrem per year from background sources alone. Under this measure, approximately 5 full series of dental x-rays would be needed on the slowest speed film to match the background radiation that the average citizen is exposed to each year.
Keep in mind that, on average, we do an entire new series every three to five years.Most offices use faster films, reducing the radiation dose per film by approximately half. Offices that use digital radiography further reduce radiation. Digital radiography requires less radiation than traditional film radiography to capture a high-resolution image.How often dental x-rays should be taken depends on the patient's oral health status, age, risk of disease, and any signs or symptoms of oral disease. Whether your wisdom teeth are being evaluated or if you are interested in dental implants, sophisticated x-rays are needed that will provide a wealth of information about your anatomy.In fact, dental x-rays are the only form of medical radiation that many men, women, and children receive regularly.
X-rays of bitten wings are the most commonly used X-rays during an initial exam and in subsequent revisions.If you have questions about dental x-rays or how often imaging is needed to maintain a healthy smile, be sure to talk to a dentist at the Kois Center in your area.Although digital radiography is a newer technology than the film it replaces, it should be noted that the image obtained in a digital X-ray is not necessarily better than that obtained with a standard X-ray film. Although digital x-rays produce lower levels of radiation than standard x-rays and are considered very safe, dentists continue to take the necessary precautions to limit a patient's exposure to radiation.
