Have you ever wondered what all the buzz is about with Invisalign®? If you have considered using this tooth straightening system, here are five super cool things to help you decide once and for all.
X-rays are critical to the practice of dentistry. And the benefits are profound. But dentists are sometimes guilty of dismissing patient concerns, as in, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
We do believe the judicious use of X-rays is in our patients’ best interests. But patients deserve to know why.
Wilhelm Roentgen, fiddling around with electricity and photographic plates one day in 1895, found a wave that could photograph the invisible. When he realized he was seeing the bone inside his arm, he took a closer look at this mysterious “X” ray.
In New Orleans, just days after the discovery was made, a dentist Edmund Kells ordered equipment to build the first X-ray in America—for use in his dental practice.
From the very beginning, dentists have guided the evolution of radiography. We know it well.
Most of us have experienced X-rays at the dentist’s office. A ray of photons is emitted by that familiar cylinder (or cone) placed on the cheek, and the film is held inside the mouth to receive the image.
Bone and teeth absorb more photons than soft tissue, so their image is captured with clarity.
The amount of energy absorbed by oral tissue is a “dose” of radiation.
There is, of course, radiation everywhere. We’re bombarded with cosmic radiation, and natural radioactive elements pepper the earth’s surface.
The unit of measurement for X-rays is called, aptly enough, a roentgen®. It’s been determined that 10r is a permissible dosage for the first 30 years of life. Full mouth X-rays rack up 0.0025r. Based on these numbers, if you had 4000 full-mouth X-rays, you’d be crazy, but you’d be healthy.
While we wish we could achieve zero exposure, there is no known alternative to X-rays for diagnosis in dentistry.
We work with X-rays every day—they are our “eyes.” There would be a very different kind of dentistry without them.
| Lower GI X-ray series | †0.85r |
| Upper GI X-ray series | 0.64r |
| Radium dial wristwatch, worn 15 years | 0.05r |
| 1 Chest X-ray | 0.01r |
| Full-mouth Dental X-rays | 0.0025r |
You Might Also Enjoy...
Have you ever wondered what all the buzz is about with Invisalign®? If you have considered using this tooth straightening system, here are five super cool things to help you decide once and for all.
Eager to straighten your teeth but worried Invisalign® isn’t the best option? There’s a reason why dentists and patients love this teeth-straightening system: It gets results. Keep reading to learn more.
Do you have multiple missing teeth in your upper or lower jaw? Partial dentures can replace them in a snap. Keep reading to learn about the advantages of this teeth replacement option.
Dental implants can provide the best tooth replacement option available. But how do you know if they’re right for you? Learn all about dental implants and when they should be part of your dental treatment plan.
You brush twice a day and never skip flossing, so you can skip those regular trips to the dentist, right? Wrong. Those great oral hygiene habits are the first step of keeping your mouth healthy, but your professional cleaning does the rest.
Curious about what your dentist has to do with your sleep? Believe it or not, a lot! Keep reading to see how a trip to the dentist can improve your sleep quality and help your oral health — no overnight sleep labs required.