Shall we talk x-rays?

[richella]

Just got back from routine check-up/cleaning for 8 yo dd. Last year I allowed x-rays as she had a pretty big cavity and I thought it might enable the best tx of that. This year I didn't allow x-rays. They laid the pressure on rather thick. All about how it's all digitized now and much lower dose than used to be (which was of course at the time said to be completely safe).

Somewhere along the way I read an article about how routine dental x-rays had been found to be more hazardous than they'd previously been thought to be (oh, really? what a surprise). I don't know where I saw the article. Anybody have any good, well-researched links about this?

tia

[Chloebelle]

I did recently read something in mainstream media that dental x-rays are believed to contribute to brain tumors.

Here's something:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/11/us-dental-x-rays-idUSBRE83A1E820120411

[Chloebelle]

Each of my children have had one set of x-rays. I actually just gave in with our 4 year old recently to let them do her first x-rays because she does have a cavity that they wanted to look at. My other DD had hers about 3 years ago, and they want to do it again, but we've held off. I'm not sure how often we will allow it, but certainly, not nearly as much as they'd like us to.

[richella]

Thanks, that article is exactly what I was looking for. It surprised me when I read about that a few months ago how unequivocal they were in making the connection.

I know next time we go in they are going to push me on this, and they'll tell me how much lower the radiation dose is than it was in the past. But it irks the heck out of me that 30 years ago I was told, these x-rays are so perfectly wonderfully safe, nothing to worry about at all, silly girl, when obviously the research hadn't even been done. My parents didn't go with me to the dentist anymore, they didn't even know they were x-raying my head, so it took me deciding on my own to decline them.

So I think I'll copy this article and give it to the DDS office and tell them that we won't be taking routine x-rays, and I prefer not to discuss it, until they have some long-term research showing that the current protocol is as safe as they are telling me it is.
 

[Magali]

Yeah.  I'm not so sure about xrays.  For me, I will get them because i neglected my teeth for a long time and want to catch the problems asap.  But they want to give my 5 year old xrays and I am leaning towards no, not until he has permanent teeth.  He gets regular cleanings/checkups and we take care of his baby teeth with fillings if need be.  But I'm leaning towards no for xrays right now.