Did an unnecessary X-ray and now i am frightened a lot

[kisaliasza]

(Sorry for posting this here but i needed an answer and this is one of the forums that doctors answer frequently)
Hey guys, my worry may sound stupid but i wanted some advice.
I recently turned 20 and i noticed that my "wisdom teeth" were growing. So I went to my dentist(he is one of the top 5 in my country) to discuss with him what to do about it(whether to let them grow or remove them). He told me we had to do a panoramic X-ray to see if they were growing straight or not. In his dental office he has a panoramic machine that he purchased in the last couple of years and he uses it for Panoramic X-rays(It's placed in the middle of his office and when in operation he just stands next to it not wearing any sort of protection. Does this mean the radiation is low?). I had an X-ray.Then 25 days later my parents told the dentist to make a copy of the panoramic image I had on a CD, in order to show the Panoramic X-ray to an oral surgeon to advice us about what to do with my wisdom teeth. When i went there he told me to make another X-ray in order to have a "contrast" of my teeth 25 days later. Foolishly and naively i accepted to have another Panoramic X-ray for my teeth( i think that he asked me to do another X-ray because he lost or didn't save the original image on his computer). So now that you read my worry, am i going crazy here to worry about it and am i exaggerating?? Please i want an answer cause am a person who is stressed all the time.
(Sorru

[Luvtoski]

From what I've read, it's the repeated amount of x-ray scans.  Hard to find specific research on the subject though.

[kisaliasza]

Thanks mate for your answer. It has really been helpful.
I didn't know that digital X-ray has 80% less radiation than a convention tooth xray.
The thing you said about "repeated radiation thru the years that has a negative effect", you meant a repeated amount of X-ray scans or something else?
Anyway,thanks for the great help!

[Luvtoski]

I had retina surgery and then braces (age 58) so I checked into this radiation a bit.  Go online and google it for more info, but basically if you had a
Digital x-ray (ask your dentist) there will be about 80% less radiation than a convention tooth xray where the put the film in your mouth and the cone points at the area.

My Orthodontist made me a lead eye patch out of a old lead shield, just for my peace of mind.  You do want to have a thyroid shield over your neck to protect your thyroid...again as a precaution.  It's the build up of repeated radiation thru the years that has a negative effect.
The mouth x-ray radiation does scatter a bit from the mouth area, so I didn't want to take a chance that the soft tissue in my eye would be affected in any way shape or form.  The Ortho office probably thinks I'm overreacting, but what the heck, it's my vision and thyroid, right?  Don't let anyone intimidate you into compromising your belief.  
I wouldn't worry about your recent x-rays, especially if they were digital.
Learn from your experience and make changes in the future.

[Doreen Fazio, M.D.]

I assume you are questioning whether or not the X-rays could have damaged your eyes.  I would ask your dentist about how much radiation exposure there is from the panoramic X-rays, since I do not know anything about this.