Why Does My Dentist Give Me So Many X-rays?

Ask your dentist about American Dental Association guidelines...

Q. My new dentist gave me 22 X-rays yesterday.  He says he does to all his patients.  This seems ridiculously unnecessary and dangerous.  Could you give me info on this?

A.  It sounds as if your dentist's plan was "overkill,'' especially since ordering this many X-rays appears to be routine for him, said Dr. Sara Dirks, a dentists in private practice in San Antonio, Tex., who cares for many older patients, Catherine Saint Louis reports on nytimes.com.

Dentists should not rely on a blanket policy on X-rays for all patients, according to guidelines set out by the American Dental Association, Saint Louis wrote.

Instead, they are supposed to inspect each mouth for cavities or gum disease and then recommend specific X-rays for specific reasons she added.

For more:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/well/why-does-my-dentist-give-me-so-many-x-rays.html

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