Do Kids Need Dental X-Rays?
Children should not be unnecessarily exposed to x-ray radiation, according to an article in the New York Times. According to the American Dental Association, dental x-rays should be carried out for a good reason; to avoid placing the child at risk of cancer later in life.
Key takeaways:
- Dentists should perform dental x-rays every 6-12 months for high-risk preschoolers who have had cavities in their baby teeth.
- Dental x-rays should be considered only every 12-24 months for younger children who have never had a tooth cavity.
- Dentists can recommend cone beam CT scans to get 3-D x-ray images of the teeth and their roots as well as the jaw and the skull.
But there always needs to be a justification for using X-rays. Some reasons include impacted teeth, pain, obvious decay, unexplained bleeding, migrating teeth, or again, simply because a dentist can’t see between two teeth.
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