Radiation Dose Tables

Eating a Banana: 0.00001 mSv

Dental X-ray: 0.005 mSv*

Living within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant: 0.01 (per year) mSv

Dental Panoramic Image: 0.027 mSv

A flight from New York to Los Angeles: 0.04 mSv

Smoking 1 ½ packs of cigarettes: 0.08 mSv

Living at sea level: 0.25 (per year) mSv

Mammogram: 0.3 mSv

Abdominal CT scan: 14 mSv

0.005 mSv x 8 = 0.04 mSv

In other words having 8 intra-oral dental x-rays taken is a similar exposure of radiation to taking a flight across the US.

A Dental Panoramic image is a similar exposure of radiation to a partial flight across the country such as LA to Chicago. 

We adhere to a "As Low as Reasonably Achievable" exposure policy. As such we invested in Digital equipment that makes the exposure as low as the industry can achieve. We will only prescribe dental X-Rays when we feel the benefit of improved oral health and effective treatment requires it.

We also feel that lead aprons often mislead patients on the amount of radiation they are being exposed to. Numerous studies have shown that the beam is so well "treated" with modern equipment that the vest is negligible or even increases  internal "scattering". As such, we only require a vest when the patient is a child or the patient is pregnant.