How harmful are dental x-rays? Is it bad to get more than one done in a month?

I haven't been to a dentist in a very long time since I don't have insurance I just kept putting it off...I decided to get a checkup this month and had dental x-rays taken. Well I really didn't like the dentist office I went to, so I decided to go another dentist office about a week later. The other dentist I went to took dental x-rays as well. I need a root canal and both dentists were charging amounts I couldn't afford, so I decided to look for dental insurance. I have qualified for dental insurance beginning next month, but it's HMO so I have to go to another dentist...which happens to do digital x-rays only. Now I'm afraid that too many x-rays within a short period of time might be harmful. I just read an article on msn about new studies show that x-rays causes cancer in the future. I'm not sure what to do...or if dental x-rays are not that harmful... anyone know??

You were harming your body more by putting off much needed dental work. Broken down, decayed teeth, bleeding diseased gums, infected teeth that need root canals are more dangerous to your overall health than a few x-rays per month. Dental offices follow strict protocols for radiation and how much exposure a person can have. I assure you that you are safe, esp with digital x-rays, which produce 60 to 80 percent less radiation than traditional films. Also the beam of radiation is so focused, in this case on your mouth, that the exposure to the rest of the body is minimal. Periodontal gum disease, decayed teeth, and infected teeth and gums produce inflammation in the body, which has been connected to an increase risk of strokes, heart attacks, miscarriage in pregnant women, diabetes........ the list goes on. Are you aware of how much radiation you are exposed to in a day? The sun, computers, microwaves, etc. Dental x-rays are an absolute necessity for the dentist to properly diagnose your dental problems. Dentists can get into serious trouble if they work on a tooth for a filling or root canal without an x-ray. Your best bet is to educate yourself, and stop believing everything that you read, including this post. Don't take my word for it, ask your dentist, find research at your local library or university, be proactive. As a side note just about everything that we ingest, are exposed to, work with etc has been reported as a possible carcinogen. With all of the pollutants in our air and water, preservatives in our food, lead paint on our children's toys, how is anyone ever sure what exactly causes cancer, the answer is no one really knows FOR SURE!!

1. They are very safe.
2. Get copies of your previous x-rays instead of having them done again.

EDIT: ISNYRA L - And what school of radiologic technology did you graduate from? I really wish people who are not educated would not answer questions. You can ABSOLUTELY have more than one chest x-ray per year. You can have as many as necessary.

They only give me an X-ray once a year. The damage might already been done.

They are safe. When I get dental X-rays at the Univ. of MN, I swear they do 17 of them. Given your situation, call the last dental office and ask them if you could get a copy of your Xrays. Just explain that you couldn't afford the work, now have an HMO dental plan and they aren't in it. They may give them to you for a charge. While they own them, you paid for them.

a dentist told me that you can have up to 35 dental xrays a month and it is safe because the radiation is not as intense as the chest xrays. Chest xrays,however should only be allowed once per year and must not exceed that.

If you cannot afford a dental service but need a root canal immediately, why not check out a top notch dental college in your area. A student dentist may work on you with the strict supervision of a real licensed dentists. They will take care of your teeth well because they are protecting their dental license. This is just a suggestion ok?

Good luck.

You can request to have copies of the xrays taken at both offices sent to office #3...then they won't need to be re-taken, and they're still recent enough to be used diagnostically.

The amount of radiation is so minimal, there's really no cause for alarm........

You can get as much dental X-rays as possible and it will not harm you at all. They just simply take picture of you're insides.

In other words, they can see beyond the skin and flesh.

You really should not worry about x-rays.

X-rays are a painful process although it can be worry either just standing there biting on something or sitting their having a x-ray jacket over you and biting on something.

Just so you know, x-ray jackets (if they put one on you) are just
big thing that they lay down on you. So technically your not putting on anything and they are just so the x-ray machine does not take a picture of anything else or go farther then needed.

That same reason is for why you must bite down on something.

Xrays are not good for the thyroid, make sure that the lead apron is pulled up around your neck close to your chin to protect the thyroid.

they are safe