Meet Your Neighbors Your Neighborhood Realty's official Newsletter By Kathleen Springer |
Medical Alert : Are Dental X-Rays Safe? This question was posed to Dr. Ramadan, another member participant in the Astoria Map Project. |
According to Dr. Ramadan D.D.S, a general and cosmetic dental specialest on 31 Avenue in Astoria, "X rays should only be taken if absolutely necessary or a maximum of every two yeras if needed to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure. A good dentist shuld not have to rely on X rays to detect tooth decay," he said. Dr. Andrew M. Weil, MD, the well known doctor and author of the best-selling book "Spontaneous Healing," had this to say about X rays on his web page. "Your dentist or technician should always use shielding whenever an X-ray is taken. X rays knock electrons out of their orbits around an atom's nucleus, creating charged particles in high doese, this type of radioation - ionizing radiation- can kill. In smaller doses, it can damage DNA, potentially harming the immune system and promoting cancer. The rays are most harmful to rapidly dividing cell, such as the skin, the linings of hoolow organs(like the digestive tact), and the bloodforming immune systems. I have always said there is no such a thing as a safe dose of radiation." The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine states, "These hazards can be avoided by keeping the cumulative radiaton exposure below threshold dose. Medical X-rays used to diagnose and trat numerous diseases and disorders- are the greatest artificial source of radiation to which the general public is exposed. In US, the average yearly radiation dose from medical X-rays is almost equal to that from natural sources."------ |