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
X-Rays show the inner structure of your teeth and the root tissue underneath your gums, something the dentist could normally not see. It also shows any growing teeth that haven’t surfaced yet (children’s adult teeth before they lose their baby teeth, wisdom teeth). It’s literally just a camera to help the dentist know what they’re working with.
X-rays are also a form of ionizing radiation. Light, in all its forms, is just photons. The further up the spectrum they are, the more energy they have. At ultraviolet and above, photons have enough energy to rip electrons off the atoms they hit, turning the atoms into ions. That radically changes their chemistry. Some molecules just fall apart, while other molecules become actively toxic as they smash into other molecules and rip them apart to restore their electrical neutrality. Your DNA in particular is extremely vulnerable to this (being both EXTREMELY important and a comparatively massive target inside your cell at the chemical level). Best case, this damage is repaired, but it can often lead to cell death or mutation.
The lead apron is there to block any of the x-rays that bounce off your jaw bones from entering the rest of your body. You need to have some exposure to radiation to get an x-ray in the first place, and doctors work to make it as small a dose as possible, but there’s also no sense in being exposed *twice.* It’s just for your safety. Doubly so if you ever get hurt and need to get a LOT of x-rays done.
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