I believe many parents are confused and fearful about the need to take X-rays for their child’s dental treatment, fearing that the rays will affect their child’s growth and development, and not understanding why dental films are needed. So, is it true that taking general dental films can have a bad effect on your baby? Do oral x-rays need to be taken routinely? No. There is no set schedule for oral x-rays for children. Each baby is unique and the frequency of x-rays required will vary. X-rays should only be taken when the doctor needs information that is not visible to the naked eye to evaluate and diagnose the baby’s oral condition. The frequency of x-rays depends on the condition of your baby’s teeth. Bringing your baby’s previous x-rays with you before going to the dentist will be more helpful and will reduce the number of x-rays taken. In general, children need x-rays more than adults because their mouths are growing and changing more rapidly and they are more susceptible to caries. For children at high risk for caries (caries-prone or parental caries-prone) or children with many cavities in their mouths and many fillings, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry AAPD recommends that x-rays be taken every six months to observe the progression of caries between teeth. For children with low risk of caries, less frequent radiographs are recommended. Do children need x-rays even if they do not have caries? X-rays are not only used to detect caries between teeth in contact with each other and the degree of decay. X-rays are another pair of eyes for the dentist to examine and diagnose potential conditions that cannot be detected by clinical examination. If dental problems are detected and treated early, the comfort of dental care will be greatly enhanced and the cost of treatment will be reduced accordingly. Is it safe to take oral x-rays? Oral x-rays are very safe. Pediatric dentists are scrupulous about minimizing the rate of radiation exposure to babies and parents. According to current safety guidelines, the total amount of x-ray radiation received at the dentist is minimal and the amount of radiation received from a single dental x-ray is comparable to the amount of radiation you would receive if you were watching television. In fact, the risk of taking x-rays is much lower than the risk of unchecked and untreated dental problems. Is there protection during dental films? The lead apron or protective clothing that your child wears during dental films is a maximum protection. Today’s advanced equipment is fully capable of filtering out excess radiation and preventing unnecessary radiation, allowing the x-ray beam to be focused on specific areas in the mouth. High-speed film, digital X-rays and proper protection ensure that your baby receives the lowest possible amount of radiation.