Since last year I have had at least 12 x rays during fillings, crown work, and a root canal. All were on the same tooth. I am worried that is way too much radiation! Should I be worried?
You can stop worrying. Dental x rays are very low-dose procedures with a typical effective dose of 0.005 millisievert (mSv). With 12 in a year, that is 0.06 mSv. The average radiation dose from naturally occurring radiation in the environment in the United States is around 3 mSv per year. In other words, the dental x rays were 50 times less radiation than you got from living on this planet!
Kent Lambert, CHP, FHPS
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