Dental X-rays during pregnancy: questions for your South Perth appointment

You're pregnant and a dental X-ray has been mentioned. Before deciding yes or no, ask which image the dentist means and what question it would answer. A small image of one tooth and a three-dimensional scan are different examinations.

Australia's 2025 dental-exposure code allows standard dental X-rays during pregnancy with precautions, while CBCT should be delayed until after pregnancy where practicable. Tell Signature Dental South Perth about your pregnancy before your visit. Its general-dentistry information says the dentist explains why imaging is recommended before it is taken.

Do I have to agree to every X-ray at a check-up?

An image needs a clinical reason; it isn't automatic because you have booked a check-up. ARPANSA's Code for Radiation Protection in Dental Exposure (February 2025) requires the practitioner to consider the question being answered, your circumstances, the benefits and risks, relevant records and alternatives with less or no radiation.

Ask what the dentist expects to learn and how the result could change your care. Those questions make the discussion specific. If you have tooth pain, say where it is and when it began. If you have no current symptoms and the image is proposed for planning, ask what decision it would support and what the implications of waiting would be.

Signature's general-dentistry page describes images being recommended where clinically indicated, followed by discussion of findings, choices, timing and likely costs. You can ask for the reason before an image is taken. This does not mean an examination or a conversation alone can always answer the clinical question.

Which kind of image is being proposed?

Ask for the image's name, especially whether it is a standard dental image or a CBCT scan. ARPANSA's dental-imaging information explains that a bitewing shows areas between teeth, a periapical image shows a whole tooth and its roots, and a panoramic image provides a wider view of the mouth.

CBCT means cone beam computed tomography. It produces a three-dimensional image of teeth, bone and surrounding anatomy. It is not simply another name for an ordinary small dental X-ray. Knowing which examination is proposed matters because the 2025 code treats pregnancy-related CBCT decisions separately.

Beam restriction, also called collimation, means limiting the beam to the area needed. The table summarises the code, not a personal recommendation to proceed with or postpone a particular examination. Ask the dentist how its requirements apply to the image being considered for you.

What if the clinic has an in-house CBCT scanner?

Having a scanner available does not establish that you need that scan. Signature's technology page describes CBCT as a way to assess depth, position and nearby anatomy when a standard image isn't enough. It also says the dentist explains the reason, likely fee and alternatives before the scan.

The pregnancy-specific direction in section 3.3 of the 2025 ARPANSA code is: Where practicable, the use of cone beam computed tomography should be delayed until after pregnancy. If delay isn't practicable, the code adds consideration of abdominal shielding and advice from a qualified expert.

You can ask, What information do you need from a three-dimensional scan that a standard image or my existing records cannot provide? Can this planning decision wait until after pregnancy? If not, how will the pregnancy-specific guidance be addressed? These questions don't assume that the scan is unnecessary, or that delaying it is appropriate in your circumstances.

A technology page describes equipment and its general uses. It does not establish a pregnancy-specific scanning protocol or mean every pregnant patient will be sent for imaging. The dentist needs to explain the proposed examination for your situation, including any referral or further advice needed.

Why does advice about lead aprons sound different?

Published advice distinguishes routine dental imaging from particular circumstances. ARPANSA's dental-imaging page says lead aprons are not usually or routinely required with modern, low-dose, well-controlled dental imaging. The 2025 code separately addresses a pregnancy-related CBCT that cannot practicably be delayed.

Some older patient leaflets describe an apron as usual practice. For example, NSW MotherSafe's dental-treatment leaflet was updated in November 2020. Its general description should not replace the later code's examination-specific requirements. Ask the dentist which current guidance applies to your proposed image rather than judging the whole decision by whether an apron appears.

A useful question is, For this particular image, why are you recommending shielding, or not recommending it? If this is CBCT during pregnancy, can it be delayed, and is advice from a qualified expert needed? Shielding is one part of the discussion. The reason for imaging and the choice of examination still come first.

Should I wait for a different trimester?

Discuss the need and timing with your dentist rather than using a trimester as a blanket yes-or-no rule. Better Health Channel's Pregnancy and teeth guidance, reviewed 21 August 2025, says you can visit a dentist at any stage of pregnancy. It describes the second trimester as more comfortable for some people.

That is advice about attending and comfort, not a reason to postpone every image or ignore symptoms. ARPANSA's 2025 pregnancy section distinguishes image types and exposure precautions; it does not set a single trimester cut-off for standard dental imaging. Ask about the reason for the examination and the consequences of proceeding or waiting.

Tell reception about pain, swelling, a broken tooth or other changes when you call. Signature's emergency-dentist information recommends telephone contact to clarify timing and the appropriate care pathway. Severe swelling affecting breathing or swallowing needs urgent medical help. Don't use a planned pregnancy check-up date as the response to an urgent change.

If nausea, gagging or lying back is difficult, mention that too. Ask how the visit can be planned around those difficulties. This article does not set an individual treatment timetable, recommend sedation or advise you to change any medicine.

Could my earlier X-rays help?

Tell the dentist where and roughly when earlier images were taken. The ARPANSA code requires consideration of available dental data and records as part of justifying an examination. Previous images may be relevant, but they do not necessarily show what the dentist needs to assess now.

Signature's general-dentistry page asks patients to mention recent X-rays or records at another clinic and ask whether they can be transferred. You don't need to decide which images are diagnostically adequate yourself. Give the previous practice's name and let the team explain the records process before assuming that repeat imaging is required or unnecessary.

If you had an image before knowing you were pregnant, contact the practice for its name and date, then discuss those details with your dentist or pregnancy-care professional. A generic dose comparison online doesn't establish your examination's exposure or a personal risk estimate. This guide does not calculate either.

What should I ask before making a decision?

Start with the clinical question, then ask about the examination and the alternatives. This original checklist turns the code's justification and pregnancy requirements into questions you can use at a South Perth visit.

1. What question will this image answer, and how could the result change my care?
2. Is it a standard dental image or CBCT, and why is that type being proposed?
3. Could my previous records or an option with less or no radiation answer the question?
4. What would the consequences of proceeding or waiting be in my situation?
5. Which pregnancy precautions apply, including the CBCT guidance if relevant?
6. What is the likely fee, and is the image included in the estimate already discussed?

Write down the image name and any agreed next step. If there are different recommendations from your dentist and pregnancy-care team, ask them to clarify the issue using the actual examination details. You shouldn't have to reconcile two vague instructions about X-rays on your own.

How do I prepare for a South Perth appointment?

Tell reception you are pregnant or may be pregnant, describe your current concern and bring your health and medicine information. The South Perth clinic page describes a concern-first visit, checking teeth and gums and using records such as images where clinically useful. Findings and choices are explained before you decide.

You can say, I'm pregnant and have been advised I may need a dental image. I'd like to discuss which type, why it is needed and whether earlier records would help. Call Signature Dental South Perth on (08) 9474 4750. The clinic is at Level 1, Suite 4, 57 Labouchere Road, South Perth WA 6151. Ask ahead if building entry or access affects your visit.

If acid wear is a separate concern, our South Perth reflux and tooth-wear article explains what history to describe; it does not settle an imaging decision. To request the author, Dr. Bhumit Shah, check availability with reception.

Sources and scope

Sources checked 3 November 2026. General published imaging guidance, not a personal recommendation about your pregnancy, examination or treatment.

• ARPANSA: Code for Radiation Protection in Dental Exposure (February 2025), justification requirements and section 3.3. Summary and quotation: © Commonwealth of Australia 2025 as represented by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia. No numerical data altered.
• ARPANSA: Dental imaging. Image types and routine shielding context.
• Better Health Channel: Pregnancy and teeth, reviewed 21 August 2025. Visits, disclosure and comfort at different stages.
• NSW MotherSafe: Dental Treatment in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding, November 2020. Compared for its older apron wording, not used to replace the 2025 code.
• Signature Dental: General dentistry, technology, South Perth location, emergency guidance and author profile.

Reference: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Better Health Channel is a free Victorian Government service.

Photos in this article are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of Signature Dental, its staff or patients. The props are conceptual; the film-like card is not a real patient radiograph.