Are Dental X-Rays Safe?
Jun 03, 2025
Preventive dentistry is incredibly important for the protection and preservation of your oral health. Some preventive responsibilities fall to you. You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day. Even eating a balanced diet is important for the health of your teeth and gums.
Another integral part of protecting yourself against tooth decay and gum disease is to visit your dentist for regular cleanings and screenings. Getting your teeth professionally cleaned ensures hard-to-reach areas are free of plaque and bacteria.
Your dentist thoroughly examines your mouth and gums for signs of tooth decay, gum disease, or infection. These regular dental visits also utilize dental X-rays, which provide detailed images that could show your dentist potentially dangerous oral health issues such as gum disease, abscesses, and oral cancer.
At Llanos Dental Group in Miami Lakes, Florida, Laura Llanos, DMD, leads our team in offering preventive dentistry services to ensure your mouth stays healthy and your smile lasts a lifetime.
X-rays, including the dental variety, are often associated with potential health risks. So, in this month’s blog, we discuss the purpose behind dental X-rays and the safety and possible risks of getting them.
Dental X-rays allow Dr. Llanos to examine the internal structures of your mouth and gums that aren’t visible just by looking inside your mouth. X-rays use beams of electromagnetic radiation to create these specialized images of your nerves, tooth roots, jawbone, and sinuses.
These imaging tests can be used to detect and diagnose issues that affect these internal structures, including:
X-rays provide Dr. Llanos with vital information that allows her to catch potentially dangerous oral health issues early and create an effective treatment plan just for you.
X-rays use a form of radiation to pass through your mouth’s soft tissues and capture the necessary images. This ionizing radiation does have the potential to make DNA changes and lead to cancer.
However, the amount of radiation used for dental X-rays is incredibly small. In fact, you’re exposed to the same levels of radiation in dental X-rays when you use your cell phone or watch TV.
For these reasons, dental X-rays are considered very safe, and the benefits of finding health issues that could severely impact your oral health far outweigh any potential risk of radiation exposure.
To learn more about how dental X-rays can preserve your oral health or to schedule a routine dental visit, call our office or book an appointment online today.