DrDental, The Rising Concerns about Dental X Rays and X Rays Risks.
There are many people that have worries about dental x-rays being taken on an annual basis. This worries are compounded if they had recent medical x-rays also taken.
It may help to understand that a complete series of dental X-rays emits as much radiation as does an hour in the sun. Many dental offices now offer digital x-rays which produce 1/10 the radiation that the old style x-rays produced.
However, if x-rays are not taken, the dentist can examine only about 50% of the tooth structure. It would be like asking the dentist to work with one hand tied behind their back. However, talk to your dentist about any X-rays worries you may have. If you have a history of good teeth they may be able to do X-rays less often.