What Do X-Rays Help Us to See?
One of the most common questions kids’ dentists get is: “Are x-rays necessary?”
The answer: X-rays allow us to see cavities between teeth and determine their size — even when the tooth looks healthy from the outside.
Key takeaway: Even healthy-looking teeth can hide decay.
Frequency: X-rays are usually taken once a year, as it typically takes about a year for a cavity to develop.
How Much Radiation Is That, Really?
All medical/dental procedures carry both risks and benefits. While the internet often focuses on risks, the benefits of early cavity detection are significant.
Radiation exposure comparison:
- Government considers a yearly limit of 50,000 µSv for radiation workers to be acceptable.
- This equals:
- 25 head CT scans
- 2,500 cross-country flights
- 100 months of background radiation
- 250,000 dental x-rays
- 500,000 bananas
Everyday radiation amounts:
- Eating 1 banana: 0.1 µSv
- Single dental x-ray: 0.2 µSv
- 1 hour outdoors: 0.7 µSv
- Flight from Sacramento to NYC: 20 µSv
- 1 head CT scan: 2,000 µSv