X-RAY NEWS GOT YOU CONFUSED??
IT’S difficult to constantly monitor all the information that’s available for patients to read, especially since there are many reports with big claims and little science behind them.
FYI: OUR education is science-based, and long-term studies don’t support the inflammatory and at times irresponsible reporting that passes as factual news today.
FIRST, DO NO HARM
We subscribe to ALARA: As low as reasonably achievable
This means that we consider many factors before prescribing any dental X-rays. The amount of radiological exposure a person receives in a full series of dental X-rays is measured at 10 microsieverts. There are numerous sources of natural radiation in our environment, and a patient receives more radiation on one day at the golf course than the radiation dose of a full series of dental X-rays. Here's some more dosage information:
- One Panorex - 10 microsieverts
- Daily background radiation - 10 microsieverts
- Airplane flight NY-LA - 40 microsieverts
- Chest X-ray - 100 microsieverts
- Lumbar spine - 1500 microsieverts
- Intravenous pyelogram - 3000 microsieverts
- Whole body CT scan - 10,000 microsieverts
- Coronary angiogram - 20,000 microsieverts
When researching dental X-rays, it’s important to remember these few things. It’s not the frequency, but the dosage that matters with radiography. We always have your best interest in mind and only prescribe X-rays as necessary. We use X-rays to view areas that Dr. Neal can’t see during the clinical exam. Decay often starts in these hard-to-see areas, and it’s less invasive (and expensive) to have a filling done at the earliest stages before it becomes a BIG problem.
We’d be happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have during your appointment.