Dental x-rays

[HadEnuff]

If you have a colonoscopy, and you are clean, then it wasn't necessary. If you have a colonoscopy and they detect and remove a lesion, then it was necessary.

Same with dental x-rays. The problem is you don't know ahead of time, do you?

 

[HadEnuff]

My wife is a dental professional.

If you haven't had any problems (fillings, caps, implants, root canals, spots being "watched", etc) for years, then there's no real need for annual x-rays.

Some dentists are overly conservative about these things. And since dental insurance will pay for annual x-rays, insured patients seldom complain.

But if you prefer not to have x-rays that often, just refuse. Have them taken as seldom as you like.

My wife tells me to have x-rays every two years, and we get them for free as a professional courtesy. I always listen to what my wife tells me to do.

a lot can happen in two years. It's not a bad plan, but it's not risk free.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Retired dentist here:

When I was in school, in the 1970s the Standard of Care (SOC) was "bite wings" (typically the two images taken of the back teeth to check for inter proximal decay) once/ year. What they don't show are the front teeth, nor do they show the entire root of any teeth. I'm not sure what the SOC (if there was one) for repeating the full series that shows all of the teeth, and all of the roots.
I always wanted the Full Series (FMX) for my new patients, and if they seemed stable and healthy, the FMX every 10 years or so. The patients with active periodontal issues, my specialist wanted FMX every 3 years. I was nervous with that, so unless he bugged me about a specific patient, or things looked really unstable, I'd drag my feet and maybe do those every 5 years.
For real healthy clean mouths, BWs every 18 months, after consultation with the patient explaining the risks etc. I wasn't a real hard guy about it. I felt it was a personal decision. I may have been hanging my neck out there for a malpractice suit if we missed something (never got sued), and in fact, sometimes, after the fact, I wished we hadn't waited, but that's the price we pay for making informed risk-reward decisions.

Personal story: I would have my BWs every year, and my FMX every 10 because I was healthy and stable. When I sold my practice, the new doc put in a new X-ray system. I wasn't due for FMX but DW was working there and asked if I'd be a guinea pig. I said sure, anything in the name of science. So I had an FMX taken and lo and behold!! we found an infected tooth that needed a root canal that we would not have found without the FMX, unless it caused an abscess. So the "extra" FMX saved me a miserable toothache experience that may have compromised my chances for a successful outcome, or threatened neighboring teeth.
The number of times the FMX revealed painless, yet dangerous conditions, in my practice over 40 years is too high to even guess at, but it's a big number.

Is it a "money maker"? Well, yes, that's how dentist "make" their money, by treating and hopefully avoiding, big issues with early diagnosis.
Is it a "rip off"? I never felt I was ripping anybody off by keeping them out of trouble.

Very useful information. I have the BWs done every 12 months and the FMX every 2 years. The cost is minimal IMHO and as HadEnuff mentioned, I would rather catch issues *before* they become REAL issues. Not only to mention that oral health is very important for other body systems...so spending a couple hundred bucks a year is just not that big a deal to me.