How many x rays are safe

Many dental problems are invisible to the naked eye, and X-rays let your dentist discover a range of problems in tooth enamel, gums, and tooth roots. Dental X-ray tools and techniques have been honed over time to minimise the exposure to radiation. Every protective tactic possible is taken to be sure that patients are safe. Lead aprons minimise exposure to the trunk of the body, and a leaded thyroid collar protects the thyroid.

These tools are particularly important in cases of patients who should be a bit more careful about X-rays, particularly pregnant women. Many people might need a dental X-ray. Several of the issues that can be discovered by an X-ray are far worse than the tiny amount of radiation involved. These are the kind of problems that, without the use of dental X-rays, can develop silently and lead to far worse problems down the road.

Pregnant women. If you are pregnant, you should avoid X-rays until after birth. This is to protect the health of the foetus, which is much more susceptible to radiation problems than grown adults. The speed at which a foetus changes at the cellular and DNA level makes X-rays particularly dangerous. Because of the amount of radiation used in x-ray examinations is small, the chance that x-rays will cause these problems is very low.

Still, it makes sense to avoid unnecessary risks, no matter how small. There is no number that is definitely safe, just as there is no number that is definitely dangerous. Every x-ray can involve some tiny risk. If the x-ray is needed to find out about a medical problem, then that small risk is certainly worth taking. How will it help determine your treatment? Feel free to talk with your doctor; you have a right to understand why an x-ray is suggested.

You can do that in several ways, including these:. Discuss any high-dose diagnostic imaging with your clinician. If you need a CT or nuclear scan to treat or diagnose a medical condition, the benefits usually outweigh the risks. Still, if your clinician has ordered a CT, it's reasonable to ask what difference the result will make in how your condition is managed; for example, will it save you an invasive procedure?

Keep track of your x-ray history. It won't be completely accurate because different machines deliver different amounts of radiation, and because the dose you absorb depends on your size, your weight, and the part of the body targeted by the x-ray. But you and your clinician will get a ballpark estimate of your exposure. Consider a lower-dose radiation test. If your clinician recommends a CT or nuclear medicine scan, ask if another technique would work, such as a lower-dose x-ray or a test that uses no radiation, such as ultrasound which uses high-frequency sound waves or MRI which relies on magnetic energy.

Consider less-frequent testing. If you're getting regular CT scans for a chronic condition, ask your clinician if it's possible to increase the time between scans. And if you feel the CT scans aren't helping, discuss whether you might take a different approach, such as lower-dose imaging or observation without imaging. Don't seek out scans. Don't ask for a CT scan just because you want to feel assured that you've had a "thorough checkup.

According to recent estimates, the average person in the U. These natural "background doses" vary according to where you live. People living at high altitudes such as Colorado or New Mexico receive about 1.

A coast-to-coast round-trip airline flight is about 0. The largest source of background radiation comes from radon gas in our homes about 2 mSv per year. Like other sources of background radiation, the amount of radon exposure varies widely depending on where you live. To put it simply, the amount of radiation from one adult chest x-ray 0.

Here are some approximate comparisons of background radiation and effective radiation dose in adults for several radiology procedures described on this website.

These values can vary greatly, depending on the size of the patient and the type of imaging technology being used. Manufacturers of imaging technology continue to make improvements towards reducing radiation exposure while maintaining image quality.

Note for pediatric patients : Pediatric patients vary in size. Doses given to pediatric patients will vary significantly from those given to adults.

Please note that this chart attempts to simplify a very complex topic. The actual dose can vary substantially, depending on a person's size, the reason for imaging, and differences in imaging practices. The International Commission on Radiological Protection ICRP Report states: "The use of effective dose for assessing the exposure of patients has severe limitations that must be considered when quantifying medical exposure," and "The assessment and interpretation of effective dose from medical exposure of patients is very problematic when organs and tissues receive only partial exposure or a very heterogeneous exposure which is the case especially with x-ray diagnostics.

It can vary based on a person's height and weight, how the procedure is performed, and the body area being exposed to radiation. The risk associated with medical imaging procedures refers to possible long-term or short-term side effects. Most imaging procedures have a relatively low risk.