Is X-ray of the teeth harmful?

Depending on the irradiation time, dose and size of the irradiated area, X-rays can cause serious damage to tissue. In relative terms, however, the radiation exposure occurring in dentistry is the lowest compared to general medical diagnostics. This can be explained by the fact that in dental radiography only the cheek needs to be “radiographed”, whereas in radiography of the internal organs, for example, much more tissue is “radiographed”.

In order to keep the radiation exposure as low as possible, modern analog X-ray machines with highly sensitive films or digital X-ray machines should be used. Of course, X-rays should still be taken as seldom as possible so that the surrounding tissue is not damaged. Possible damage caused by high levels of radiation are mutations in the tissue and associated cancer.

However, a single X-ray image does not cause such a disease. However, if you are frequently exposed to X-rays, the probability increases. Therefore, unnecessary second radiographs should be avoided wherever possible.

A sensible acquisition here is the X-ray passport, in which every doctor who takes an X-ray is registered. This helps to maintain an overview. Images can then be requested and forwarded among the physicians.

It is generally known that there is a certain basic radiation everywhere on earth. This is significantly higher near mountains – especially in mountains with uranium deposits – than in the lowlands.
The panoramic shot is comparable to a short-haul flight in terms of its load.
The load is even lower for single-tooth scans than for panoramic scans.

X-ray for caries diagnostics

In order to diagnose caries, X-ray is a good method in addition to manual examination. It is often used when a tooth is painful, to rule out an inflammation of the root apex, or to diagnose interstitial caries. Especially between the teeth the dentist does not always have the best view with his eyes and probe.

For this purpose, so-called “bite wing images” are made, which often show the caries well. While the healthy part of the tooth is shown in white on the x-ray, caries appears as a darker area. This is due to the fact that there is only “air” or bacteria and tissue remains in the carious areas and the X-rays are not attenuated.

The area of the film behind the caries is exposed without attenuating the X-rays and therefore appears black. The healthy part of the tooth absorbs a part of the radiation and a little less radiation reaches the film. Therefore the film is brighter there. The X-ray image gives the dentist an indication of how deep the caries is and whether the tooth can still be preserved or needs to be extracted. The OPG is usually not used to diagnose caries, because it only shows an overview of the jaw and the oral cavity, but the individual teeth are shown only very small and sometimes inaccurately.