Dental X- Rays

[3TrueFans]

Meh. I didn't go for around 12 years after I graduated college because I never had issues.

I went about three years ago and they did their cleaning/xrays/etc. and told me everything looked good. I haven't been back since. I've never had a single cavity, just braces and wisdom teeth removal in HS.

I don't really plan on going back unless something pops up. My teeth aren't in poor condition. Nobody would ever know I don't go.

Your plaque must have great grandchildren by now.

 

[FarmerCy1]

Usually every 1-1.5 years for my dentist. Last time around, they were pushing some new machine that was supposed to detect more than just a basic X-ray (for an additional fee, of course).

 

[Althetuna]

Yearly.

 

[cycloneG]

I get them as frequently as my insurance will pay for them.

 

[AgronAlum]

Your plaque must have great grandchildren by now.

Brush and floss, bruh.

 

[3TrueFans]

Brush and floss, bruh.

Nah, your teeth never feel as clean as they do immediately after a cleaning at the dentist, gotta scrape that **** off.

 

[BCClone]

I would lay however she wanted.

 

[frackincygy]

Your plaque must have great grandchildren by now.

He doesn't need to dip his fishsticks in ****.

 

[RLD4ISU]

Ask why he wants x-rays every year.

I wouldn't worry too much about the radiation part. The dosage is usually equal less than one day of natural background radiation. Panoramics are more - at the high end it's the equivalent to a few days of natural background radiation...similar to a chest x-ray.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Only joking.

It is hard dealing with services who's income is very reliant on their customers needing to trust opinions. Doctors, Denstists, Mechanics, Plumbers, etc... business model is such that they need problems to fix, and the everyday person often doesn't know if those recommended problems truly need fixed or if they're being taken advantage of. Not saying it's bad, just the way it is. We've all certainly had mechanics try to up-sell us on services we don't need. While I think people in the medical industry are much less likely to do that than a mechanic, it's certainly possible.

Personal anecdote: When I was young, I had 4 adult molars pulled because I my adult teeth grew too early and my mouth didn't have room. Then in high school, we did the typical trip to the oral surgeon to determine if I needed my wisdom teeth out (since that is a thing it seems almost everyone does just by default). Oral surgeon said "yep, lets cut those babies out, and we scheduled an appointment". However, my mom had some background in the medical field, and looking at the x-rays, the wisdom teeth appeared to be perfectly straight, so she wondered why they needed to come out. She then took me to our family dentist to get his opinion. He said there was no reason to cut them out. Let them grow in and see what happens. If they give me problems, just have them removed then. Since I was missing adult molars, I should have had room for them. I'm now 37 and have had zero issues with my wisdom teeth.

Why did the oral surgeon tell me I needed to undergo a pretty painful and expensive procedure? I'm actually still resentful about it to this day, although I have had nothing but good experiences with Dentists since then.

It seems like the profession requires a lot of judgment, as with a lot of fields.

Here's my experience: I took terrible care of my teeth as a kid/college student. I've had several fillings. However, as an adult, I take very good care of my teeth. Getting multiple cavities drilled will do that to you.

I had a dentist that was outstanding. She identified a few "pre-cavities" in my molars, but her opinion was that because I was taking much better care of my teeth, she would monitor them. If they continued to get worse, we'd have to address it, but if they were stable, we were fine.

Well, I changed jobs which was a lot further from that dentist. So, I tried going to one closer to my work. First visit, that new dentist says they all needed to be fixed. $1700 was the estimate.

I drove back to my original dentist for a second opinion. She confirmed that nothing had changed since my prior visit and no action was required.

Not saying the second one was out to get my money. Rather, it just shows that it comes down to the approach and opinion of the dentist you see.

 

[CySmurf]

my dentist puts me asleep and then i wake up and im sore

If your dentist is Jennifer Aniston...then I see no problem...other than you're not awake to experience the "soreness"

 

[CycloneVet]

There's no need to get them more than every 2 to 3 years unless you have some type of issue.

I got them done about 2 years ago and last week. They found a massive cavity that I now have to get a root canal. They are concerned that the crown will not hold up and I’ll have to get an implant. So right now I’m wishing I got X-rays done last year. It may have been caught before it destroyed my tooth

 

[motorcy90]

Just wondering how often posters on here get their teeth x- rayed. My dentist, who is fairly young, insists I get them every year. (Actually wants them every 6 months) I Googled , and it looks like I could get by with every 36 months based on my history- no cavities for 17 years now, no other problems or complaints. Full disclosure, my dental insurance pays for one set/ year, and I’m not overly concerned about the radiation. But if I don’t really need them, why risk the exposure?

honestly the last time was probably when I got out of the marines in '16 haven't really been to the dentist since. have had dental insurance since then, but have just never had the need or made the time to. haven't had any issues in that time frame either, just brush and mouth wash and floss when needed. probably should get a check up/ cleaning at some point though.

 

[cyclones500]

Digital x-rays are definitely safer than the old film x-rays. I’ve read it’s about an 80% reduction in radiation. My dentist still puts the vest on the patient even though it’s the automated digital x-ray that moves around your head.

A sign at my dentist states how it's no longer mandatory for patient to wear the vest, but is provided upon request.

I got somewhat out of loop with all that. I had done routine checkups for quite a few years, then past 4 or so I got out of it, restarted last year. In between the vest thing occurred.

 

[NATEizKING]

I'd go to the dentist more often if insurance would pay for it.

 

[motorcy90]

It seems like the profession requires a lot of judgment, as with a lot of fields.

Here's my experience: I took terrible care of my teeth as a kid/college student. I've had several fillings. However, as an adult, I take very good care of my teeth. Getting multiple cavities drilled will do that to you.

I had a dentist that was outstanding. She identified a few "pre-cavities" in my molars, but her opinion was that because I was taking much better care of my teeth, she would monitor them. If they continued to get worse, we'd have to address it, but if they were stable, we were fine.

Well, I changed jobs which was a lot further from that dentist. So, I tried going to one closer to my work. First visit, that new dentist says they all needed to be fixed. $1700 was the estimate.

I drove back to my original dentist for a second opinion. She confirmed that nothing had changed since my prior visit and no action was required.

Not saying the second one was out to get my money. Rather, it just shows that it comes down to the approach and opinion of the dentist you see.

yep have a few fills on cavities from younger days, the family dentist suggested that I have them crowned at some point soon, yet the multiple dentists during while I served made no mention of that. Previous family dentist said I had room for my wisdom teeth to come in and they would be fine, Naval dentist took one set out during boot, and then I got the other set removed before getting stationed overseas only as a precaution.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

Yeah, that 1 time of year where i get a dentist xray on each side of my mouth, i always glow when i walk out. i goto the bathroom the next day and i pee green ooze

Maybe don’t wait until the next day to pee.

 

[CycloneSpinning]

Fear of the dentist is a very real thing. I strongly recommend that you go only for preventive reasons and to help establish both a baseline and a standard of care. Waiting till you have a problem can be a huge issue with oral help and without having an established relationship with a dentist you could be waiting while things get worse.

Having a problem with your oral health can actually have major impacts on other systems of your body as well.

Agreed. Dental health is super important.

Google the amount of radiation exposure from dental X-rays. Then google the amount of radiation exposure from a cross country flight. If you’re not afraid of radiation from flying, I don’t think you need to be afraid of dental x-rays.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Our dentist does annual bite-wing x-rays, and does the big head scan x-ray every 5, I believe.

In the last year or two they've stopped making us wear the lead blanket. They said the machines have changed and no longer require that. They still leave the room, though

 

[VeloClone]

Our dentist does annual bite-wing x-rays, and does the big head scan x-ray every 5, I believe.

In the last year or two they've stopped making us wear the lead blanket. They said the machines have changed and no longer require that. They still leave the room, though

At least request the lead blanket and put it over your junk...