what X-rays of my teeth at the dentist show and why it has to be radioactive and what the heavy apron does
In: Physics
The heavy apron has lead in it. Lead is strong enough to block the x ray radiation to protect your body. X ray radiation is dangerous, so you want to be exposed to as little of it as possible, so they limit it to just the area they want to scan.
This isn’t a reason to be afraid of x rays, an x ray every few years doesn’t increase your chance of cancer by any significant amount, but a lack of safety precautions just isn’t smart as far as working with radiation goes.
That’s also why the technician is far away when they press the button, because they do this 50x a day, and they don’t want to be exposed to 50 x ray scans every day because of the danger of radiation.
The x ray shows the structure of your teeth and jaw, especially below the gum line, where they can’t see by just looking in your mouth. This is to make sure everything is growing properly and to make sure there’s no damage or unexpected structures.
Latest Answers