Re: unuseful dental x-ray

[Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

At 01:45 PM 10/28/97 -0600, you wrote:
>My dentist took films on my missing teeth which need bridges. He told me he
>had to send the films to the dental insurance to prove that I did not have
>teeth on that location. My understanding is that the radiation exposure I
>received from this procedure is only for the insurance documentation
>purpose. There is no other benifit at all.

Certainly no diagnostic benefit, but I guess it can be said that you obtain
a benefit in the coverage you receive by doing this (i.e., it has financial
value to you). My question is, if all they are doing is verifying that
teeth are not there, why not require a photograph instead of an xray? Bound
to be cheaper on top of the exposure avoided.


Bob Flood
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(415) 926-3793     bflood@slac.stanford.edu
Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are mine alone.