Dental X-Rays
X-rays are used as a diagnostic tool to locate disease of the oral cavity (cavities, infection, abnormalities, etc). Our office uses digital technology to minimize radiation exposure as much as possible. A full mouth set of x-rays is about equivalent to the radiation one is exposed to while flying in an airplane from PDX to LAX.
According to the Oregon Board of Dentistry, “The Standard of Care in Oregon requires that current radiographs are available prior to providing treatment to a patient.”
I will be following the guidelines set by the Oregon Board of Dentistry, the Oregon Dental Association, and the American Dental Association, among others, to provide you with the most effective and evidence-based care. This means we will be taking regular radiographs while also following the ALARA principle, meaning we will limit your exposure of radiation to what we need to practice dentistry safely, but no more. Typically for adults, this means we will take a full mouth set of radiographs approximately every 5-7 years and bitewing radiographs yearly, unless you have established excellent oral health over time, where we can extend the bitewing radiographs to every other year. We will take additional radiographs only upon verification for certain types of procedures or to further explore problem areas.
For more information about dental x-rays, visit: http://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/x-rays