Dr. Lindsey Marshall is a premier cosmetic and restorative dentist on the Main Line of Philadelphia. She is annually voted a “top doc” amongst local media and industry peers. A cum laude graduate of The Harvard School of Dental Medicine, she has continued to strive for excellence through post-graduate education at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, Aesthetic Advantage. As the area leader in advanced aesthetic dentistry, Dr. Marshall offers the most superior expertise and technology in her field in her Ardmore-based office. The combination of Dr. Lindsey Marshall’s progressive training in cosmetic and physiologic dentistry enables her to consistently exceed patient expectations and earns her a superior reputation amongst the highest caliber of dentists worldwide.

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Radiation exposure has been a long-term controversy in the dental office. Unfortunately, this age-old issue has lingered on from concerns when the exposure was higher, and misinformation was spread on media outlets, perpetuating the fear even today. 

Did you know that a full set of 18 X-rays is equivalent to five minutes in the sun or a cross-country flight? Or that bananas and spinach have radiation content? And even if you did know this, have you turned it down? No, because who would turn down a free flight, avoid the beach, or stop eating a fruit or vegetable. How about smoking cigarettes? Terrible for your health in so many ways, but did you know there is also radiation exposure? The list goes on and on. 

So we ask, why does no one sound the alarm about the radiation involved in these activities? Here Haute Beauty sat down with Haute Beauty expert Dr. Lindsey Marshall to break down the misconceptions and talk about the reality of needing an X-ray to diagnose and check in on your dental health properly.

What dental X-Ray machines do you use in the office?

I have been using digital X-rays for my entire 25 years in practice. I not only have Sirona X-ray equipment with a small digital sensor from Dexis for individual routine x-rays, but I also have a digital CBCT scanner that can image your entire jaw in 2D or 3D digitally. As a matter of fact, a full jaw scan has less radiation than your exposure from living in a stone or brick house for one year. Who knew, right? Furthermore, the cones that take the X-rays (the tube we angle towards your teeth) also block scatter radiation from going beyond the target at the end of the tube. 

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Where does the fear of radiation exposure come from? 

As mentioned earlier, there is unfortunately a lot of misinformation in the media, and even major medical shows spread this misinformation in the sense of a “warning.” However, they never say to skip the chest x-ray recommended by medical professionals or mammograms nor should they. 

The X-rays you receive at a general dentistry appointment are necessary. Based on research, the connection between oral health and full-body health is directly linked, and who wants to cheat on their dental health? With technological advancements, radiographs have the power to show us gum disease, bone loss, sinuses, cavities, Temporomandibular Joint issues, and more. 

As health professionals, we are obligated to give you a complete diagnosis of everything we see, and not taking X-rays puts our profession at risk for malpractice liability. Not to mention, without X-rays we aren’t able to diagnose early, give you conservative treatments, or even avoid emergencies. I always tell my patients if I could have a superpower, it would certainly be an X-ray vision but for now, I will have to take some X-rays to give you the BEST care I can!