A dental X-Ray is an important tool used by pediatric dentists to assess the health of your child’s mouth and identify problematic conditions. These machines produce detailed images that can reveal cavities or impacted teeth, meaning they are an essential tool in your child’s oral health defense. In this post, we’ll take you through why X-Rays for children are needed and why they are safe to undergo. Let’s get going.

 

So, Are X-Rays Safe?

In short, yes. They use such a low level of radiation that safety is not an issue. Digital radiographs are much safer than traditional X-rays. It is important to research the machines used by your dental provider.

 

What About X-Rays for Babies?

The age of a patient does not matter in relation to X-Rays. Any risks are shared with adults. The safe and effective use of X-rays in dental offices has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of conditions.

Dental practitioners will often recommend that patients receive an X-Ray if they believe there may be damage or issues with their teeth, bones or soft tissues within this region where cavities can develop into full-blown infections over time when left untreated.

Radiation exposure is a potential concern when it comes to X-rays, but the low radiation used at our office makes them safe enough for children. Be sure and let your dentist know about any recent radiations that they might have had done on you.

 

What Is In a Pediatric Dentist’s Toolkit?

You may be wondering how to keep a little one still enough to take an X-Ray in the first place. The best pediatric dentists have a wide array of professional tools at their disposal to introduce your toddler to dentist visits. For a truly professional pediatric dentist, helping your toddler feel at ease, comfortable and confident is as important as providing cutting-edge dental care!

 

 

This is because when your toddler has a great early experience at the dentist, they will be much more likely to grow up to seek preventative dental care. This, in turn, will contribute to a lower risk of cavities, periodontal disease and other serious systemic infections that often begin with poor oral hygiene.

Expect to see the following in your pediatric dentist’s professional toolkit:

• Finger puppets
• Toys
• Games
• Stuffed animals
• Video games
• Oversize models for demonstrations
• Kids books
• Cartoons

Each of these tools can help your toddler to understand why the dentist wants to do basic things like examine their mouth, take x-rays, clean their teeth and floss. Using finger puppets, cartoon characters, games and toys can help make visiting the dentist less fearful and (dare we say it) even fun and giggle-worthy!

 

Is There a Limit Per Year?

Dental X-rays do not pose a significant risk to the patient. Rather, it is how often they are given and what kind of radiation exposure each time that poses an increased threat for developing health problems.

 

Dental X-rays do not pose a significant risk to the patient.

 

Dental X-rays are typically performed every year. Although, we may suggest a dental X-ray sooner than this to better monitor the progress of your child’s oral condition and prevent any potential problems before they arise or get worse significantly enough where treatment could be difficult if not impossible.

This may be due to loss of tissue from infection/destruction by decay bacteria which would result in tooth pain associated.

 

What the Experts Say

“It is now mandatory for dental professionals to use the lowest dose of radiation when performing X-rays on children, and only if they believe it is necessary,” says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin from Yale School of Medicine. “The FDA has issued these new guidelines in order protect our kids’ developing bodies.”