Dental X-rays: what they show and how much radiation they involve
Do You Know? For patients.
A dental X-ray takes a second, but it shows what an eye or a mirror cannot.
What X-rays find
Decay between teeth, where back teeth touch and cannot be seen directly.
Bone levels around teeth and implants.
Infection at the root tips, cracks, old fillings leaking underneath, and teeth that have not come through.
A panoramic image also shows the jaw joints, the jaw bone and the lower part of the sinuses.
How much radiation?
Doses from modern digital dental X-rays are small. In one well-known study, a set of four bitewing X-rays gave about 5 microsieverts and a panoramic X-ray about 14 to 24 microsieverts. For comparison, natural background radiation is roughly 3,000 microsieverts a year, or around 8 a day. Even so, X-rays are only taken when they will change a decision, and the lowest practical dose is used.
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This article is general information and not a substitute for an examination.
Reference
Ludlow JB, Davies-Ludlow LE, White SC. Patient risk related to common dental radiographic examinations. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008;139(9):1237-43. doi:10.14219/jada.archive.2008.0339
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