Are dental x-rays in any way harmful to a child?

No. The chances of harm are very low because dental x-rays have limited exposure and we always protect the children or adults before they take an x-ray. They will wear aprons and their neck will be protected as well. There is also a shield for certain x-rays that reduce the remission a person gets. The second thing is that most dental x-rays are digital and the amount of radiation that is required to get a quality image is much less than a traditional x-ray. That’s why dental x-rays are very safe even if we do it for children.

To add on, I would say the age that x-rays are usually taken when children are around 7 to 8 years old because we want to monitor teeth that are coming out. Usually when children are older, they are able to cooperate and keep still.

We are careful about taking x-rays in children who are too young. We will ask ourselves if the x-rays will eventually be useful especially when we take it to determine how crowded the teeth are and if the child reaches an age and maturity level and is able to cooperate and keep still.

Different children have different personalities. I have taken x-rays for young people when they have severe tooth decay. But the problem with baby teeth is that it is hard to visually detect decay due to the shape. The problem with baby teeth is the environment, so it’s worse if the child is snacking a lot or is exposed to sugar all the time. A lot of children have yet to develop oral reflexes.