Routine dental X-rays are not backed by evidence

> "Financial aspects of dental radiography also deserve further study," Feit added

No joke. That is a major money maker. There is minimal cost per-use and your insurance pays $200 for it (my last one was $186.00 for instance). The dentists would be crazy not to recommend them as of often as possible.

Fluoride "rinses" are likely up there too. Rinse for a few seconds and they charge the insurance $50 or something for it.

I think most private dentists charge about £20/$25 for a radiography in the UK. In the US, this pricing seems also available - https://www.teethtalkgirl.com/dental-health/cost-for-dental-....

Interestingly, I lived in Central Europe for a while and all my private dentists just used visual inspection for teeth. I never had an issue with that, all decay was spotted in time and in many cases earlier than with the x-ray only method, because more attention was paid to how the teeth look up-close, at all angles.

However, the visual inspection takes more time and skill. One might argue x-ray is the cheaper and quicker option. Though it costs more to the patient in many cases. Ah, the world of dentistry.