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 x-rays show the internal (under the gums) structure of your jaw and teeth. The dentist has to use x-ray radiation because light of other wavelengths, like the light in the room, doesn’t go through gums and cheeks and all the other stuff that’s in the way.
The heavy apron is to protect the rest of you from stray x-ray radiation from reflections off your bones and that sort of thing. It’s not really that dangerous, but since putting the apron on you is super easy and very effective at stopping stray x-rays it’s the safest thing to do.
the x-rays show the root structure of the teeth; jaw bones / mandible; next set of teeth
all x-rays are radioactive – but its not a major concern unless you are constantly near them or getting them
the apron prevents the x-rays from going where you dont want them to go……getting exposed to the occasional x-ray is not harmful….but its also really easy to protect the areas where its not needed.
X rays pass through tissue easily, but they do not pass through bony stuff, like teeth. So, you can use them to make images of bony structures embedded in tissues, like teeth.
X rays do not “need” to be radioactive. Indeed, they are not radioactive. X rays are radiation. They are produced my radioactive source material. Saying X rays are radioactive is kind of like saying water is wet.
1) They show the insides of your teeth, which can help the dentist identify cracks, caveties, nerve issues or other disorders of the teeth or jaw.
2) Because that is just how X-Rays work. X-Rays _are_ radiation – it has to be to pass through your body and deposit the image on the film
3) It is a lead apron – lead blocks radiation fairly well, so they drape it over you so other parts of your body don’t get radiation exposure.
X rays are a type of light. Unlike normal light, they can go through a lot of different materials. They get blocked by things like bone and teeth, and this means that if you shine x rays at a bone or tooth you get a shadow which can be photographed. This shadow picture can show internal detail of the teeth and bones.
This allows the dentist to see how the roots of the teeth are doing, they can see cavities, other bone problems and teeth which haven’t grown up properly through the gums.
X rays are not radioactive. They are a type of ionising radiation, a bit like ultraviolet light. Certain types of light can cause chemical reactions to take place which can cause damage to the body. For example ultraviolet light can burn the skin causing sun burn. X rays do a similar sort of thing, so it is important to balance the risk and benefit of checking the teeth or other organs for medical purposes against the possible risk of damaging the body.
Lead aprons are worn by people who need to stay in the room when taking an x ray of someone else. When the x rays come from the machine, they come In a focused beam like a flashlight which is directed at the organ to be examined. However, when they hit your body they spray off in all directions, and that means that they can hit other people in the room who are getting no medical benefit.
There is absolutely no point for someone getting the x ray to wear a lead apron.
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.
Interestingly, the lead apron may actually increase radiation dosage. It doesn’t absorb all, but will scatter some. This may mean some radiation “caught inside” the apron will continue to bounce and scatter.
We don’t use them in our clinic other than as a peace of mind thing for patients that request it
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.
The xrays show the doctors your entire teeth, meaning also the part that is concealed by the gums. This helps them better understand how they’re seated on the bone and how they should proceed. It’s radioactive because x-rays are electromagnetic radiation that pass through most objects, but not all, and we essentially pass them through us and catch them from behind with a film, like a photograph. What we see as our bones in an xray are basically the parts the xrays can’t go through, so what’s left on the film is essentially the shadow of your skeleton. Unfortunately, it is also what is known as “ionizing radiation” meaning they can damage our DNA. However we can’t really use another wavelength as that’s the one that gives us the best image for medical purposes. The heavy apron is lead lined. Xrays can’t go through lead so the apron helps keep your exposure to a minimum.
Generally speaking getting a few xrays isn’t that dangerous overall, and the benefits outweigh the risks. But frequent exposure to them could cause damage.
X rays aren’t radioactive, but the energy they make is a lot like harmful radioactivity. When an x-ray machine is off, there’s no radiation. On the other hand, a chunk of radioactive material gives off radiation constantly. The amount of radiation from a modern dental x ray is very tiny but the dentist wants you to be safe. Turns out, lead greatly reduces most radioactivity and X rays.
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