The Register-Guard – June 19, 2017
Dental patients ask: ‘Why the X-rays?’
Going beneath surface can help avoid painful tooth maladies, dentist says
“My new patient was expressing doubt about the need for dental radiographs — X-rays — as part of her appointment to have her teeth cleaned.
“It’s just a cleaning,” she said. “Why do I have to get all those X-rays? I had some taken last year, and I don’t want that radiation exposure.”
Her reaction isn’t uncommon, especially for patients who remember the early days of dental radiology. Back then, lead aprons were required to protect patients from radiation.
Today, however, dental X-rays don’t expose patients to that same level of radiation. Dentists use digital processes now, and our equipment has continually improved over the years. Patients receive less radiation at a dental visit than they get spending a day at the beach or flying on an airplane.”