Great Location!
Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:30 am - 5:00 pmFriday
by appointmentPhone:
520-744-6423Fax:
520-579-6665Address:
8295 N. Cortaro Road
#137 Tucson, AZ 85743
X-rays
Do I really need X-rays?
X-rays are used for the patient and Dentist to:
- Identify cavities between teeth and under fillings and crowns.
- Evaluate bone levels for presence of gum disease.
- Locate abscesses and infections of the tooth root.
- Discover cysts and tumors.
This is a simple diagnostic procedure that is commonly misunderstood. Everyone is and should be concerned about radiation exposure. However, this fact sheet shows the types of X-ray radiation and their relative risk to your health. Make sure to look at the dental x-ray at the bottom of the list as the least exposure.
Did you know?
X-rays are used for the patient and Dentist to:
- You would have to take 1750 dental x-rays to equal the radiation in a lower GI series! 1 dental x-ray is 1/10000 of the yearly maximum recommended dose.
- Each time you fly from coast to coast you receive 4 millirems of background radiation, or the equivalent of four panoramic radiographs.
- There is background radiation from concrete buildings, roads and even the sun! Just standing around you receive more than 3 bitewing x-rays worth of radiation every day!
- When this very low radiation exposure is compared to the benefits of X-rays (detecting cavities, cysts and tumors) it seems like an easy compromise to make.
The following exposures of bone marrow to radiation during typical x-ray examinations are listed below in millirems, a measurement of radiation.
The maximum on the job yearly exposure for Canadian and U.S. radiation workers has been set at 5,000 millirems. Low doses spread out over a period of time are not as harmful as large doses at once because the body has time to recover.
HIGH DOSE GROUP
Barium enema: lower GI series
Pelvimetry: examination to evaluate the proportions of the birth canal
Barium meal: upper GI series
Mammography: breast examination
Lumbosacral spine (lower spine)
Small bowel series
IV pyelogram
Lumbar spine
Thoracic spine
Millirems
875
595
535
1000
450
422
420
347
247
MEDIUM DOSE GROUP
Gallbladder
Abdomen
Ribs
Pelvis
Skull
Hip
Millirems
168
147
143
133
78
72
LOW DOSE GROUP
Cervical spine (neck)
Femur (upper leg)
Dental (full mouth series)
Dental (panorex)
Dental (bitewing)
Millirems
52
21
9
1
0.5