Dental x-ray while pregnant

[Rose1111]

I’m 10+4 & had a dental x-ray at 9+6. I hadn’t been to the dentist in 14 years I never told them I was pregnant(didn’t know I had to) & they done an X-ray of my mouth. I got to reception & was booking my next appointment & was speaking to the woman about my due date & the woman who was doing the X-ray overheard & she said we’re not meant to do X-rays if your pregnant you need to tell us next time & went on to say you’ll be fine just let us know. Has anyone else had them done in early pregnancy I’m worried now I have anxiety around this pregnancy as it is as it’s took us a year & half to conceive after a MMC.

The likelihood it's going to be completely fine- but yes if your having xrays you need to tell them so they can precautions

They're supposed to ask if you're pregnant before they do an x-ray, not just rely on you volunteering that information. But what's done it done and the risks are miniscule (especially as it was of your jaw not your abdomen) so I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Okay thank you it was the first time I had been as an adult I wasn’t sure about the ins & outs I’ve been anxious since & my scan isn’t for another 2 weeks

I'm 36 weeks and had an X-ray at the dentists last week. They knew I was pregnant and told me that guidance had recently changed and it's considered to be OK to do now, although previously the guidance was to avoid it.

It's their fault. I'm sure they should ask that. Hopefully it's fine, but you would be justified to make a complaint and to enquire as to what the dangers are.

I did do some research afterwards & seen mixed results. Some say absolutely fine & others say they’ve used a lead apron if they’ve really had to have the X-ray. I’m not looking to blame anyone I’m just anxious & wanted to put my mind at ease. I have a midwife appointment tomorrow I’ll speak to her I’ve already had 2 scans I’m tempted to pay for another before my 12 week scan it’s a long 2 weeks when you have anxiety

I work in a hospital X-ray department. The radiographer wasn't correct to say they don't Xray during pregnancy. We x-ray pregnant women all the time for all sorts of body parts. The risk is quite minimal and should be explained to by the doctor or the radiographers will have information sheets.

You’ll be fine. My BIL’s girlfriend had car accident, and as a result, broken spine. She had xray, heavy painkillers and their 5yo girl is completely fine.

Had x rays with my first she was absolutely fine. I did tell them and they didn’t give me a shield which I’d heard of others having since but all was well.

I unfortunately had to have a CT scan (of my upper body but not my tummy) during my pregnancy at approx. 16 weeks. This exposes you to far more radiation and my daughter is absolutely fine.

There's really no risk, the radiation exposure from a dental x-ray is less than the radiation exposure of day-to-day life. I hope this link can reassure you. Any precautions they could have taken would have simply have been to try and make you worry less, rather than any particular risk to your baby.

You can't say there is no risk. That's false information.

I can say it, and I feel perfectly content. While it is not zero risk, the risk is so vanishingly small, that it might as well be zero.

It's very true that there isn't "no" risk. The radiation level from a dental x ray is similar to that of a short haul flight so very small indeed.

Lead aprons aren't routinely used for pregnant women for a number of reasons. OP, please don't fixate on this, you are likely to have better health outcomes from the positive aspects of a dental x ray. You see posts on here every week from women who are in a bad way because they have poor dental health and are pregnant or breast feeding.

Apparently the radiation is less than a 2 hour flight, would you go on a 2 hour flight at 9 weeks?

Thank you for all the reassurance I feel a bit better now things can eat away at me if I don’t speak about them. I’m my own worst anyway & really hard on myself.

@Sawa75 due to my anxiety no I don’t like flying but yes I probably would if I didn’t have anxiety & had a holiday booked

I had a dental x-ray at around 8 weeks and the dentist knew I was pregnant. She said the risk was very low as they are obviously not x-raying your stomach and they use a low dose of radiation. She also said in some cases the risk of not getting it done is higher than getting it as it could mean problems go undetected and cause issues later on.

I had a dental X-ray at 11 weeks and wore a lead apron. DC now teenager and absolutely fine. Risk is very very minimal.
They should ask you first though and shouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary is my understanding of the guidelines.
But honestly you'll be fine OP

Thank you so much everyone when you try & speak to people in you’re own circle to them I’m either being dramatic or worrying too much etc I love speaking to everyone here no question ever seems too silly to ask so thank you

@Rose1111 pre ultrasounds they used to x ray to check baby. My oldest sibling was breach so DM had two x rays to confirm position, was all pretty normal then 😁

I also had a chest x ray when pregnant, all was fine.

Hope your mind is at ease, nothing worse than anxiety during pregnancy

Oh it’s so bad I have anxiety as it is but my anxiety has anxiety at this point lol I was young when I had my son so I was oblivious to all these things & any complications that could happen but now I have healthy anxiety & ocd etc & paranoid after my last MMC so I’m finding it hard to relax & it doesn’t help my symptoms come & go so I freak out when they disappear I’m a nervous wreck I’m living minute to minute

Dentist here. Don't worry. The dose is tiny, and it's not aimed anywhere near your tummy, so you will be fine.
Dentists should ask mind you. Not that that necessarily means they won't take radiographs during pregnancy... they need to know as it might effect what materials are used and whether you might be entitled to benefits.

For each pregnant patient who presents requiring a radiograph, I usually do a risk assessment. I ask the question, can this wait nine months, or would the patients health benefit from this radiograph if I take it now.

@ordinarilyordinary thank you! My symptoms have reduced over the last few days so have been panicking I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence they’re subsiding

I had an X-ray on my tooth at 12 weeks due to bad pain, they said just for caution they would only X-ray that part rather than the whole mouth. However he said the direction of the X-ray etc it’s fine, and would have probably been fine to have my whole mouth but he held off just due to there being no point for a checkup unless I had pain. My dh actually measures the dose readings and checks dental X-rays as part of his job and he said it would have been fine to have it. That you’ll be exposed to more radiation just going about your daily life anyway. I ended up having a filling and the dentist put the anaestetic into a vein in my mouth/cheek- I was more worried about that.

Also yes, my symptoms temporarily reduced/dissappeared between 8-9weeks and at 12–13 weeks and then completely at 14 weeks. Midwife said that’s common for them to dissappear (I asked her at 9 weeks). I’m currently 18 weeks now. I understand the anxiety, I had a mmc in my last pregnancy and so I’m still anxious now. If you are in the uk, hopefully you’re dating scan is soon?