Your X-Rays Are Yours: How to Get Your Dental Records

Yes. You can get copies of your dental records and X-rays, and you can have them sent straight to another dentist. Ask in writing, say exactly what you want and in what format, and expect any fee to cover only the cost of making and sending the copy.

Key Takeaways

• Under the federal HIPAA privacy rule, patients have a legal right to a copy of the health records a dental office keeps about them, X-rays included.
• You can ask the office to send your copy directly to a new dentist, and that request should be in writing and signed.
• A dental office may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies, limited to things like copying labor, supplies and postage.
• Ask for the original digital image files, because a phone photo of a monitor or a printout is often too poor for another dentist to read.
• A new dentist may still take fresh X-rays if yours are old or do not show the area they need to see.

Can a dental office say no?

Only in a few narrow situations the rule lists, and a routine request for your own chart and X-rays isn’t one of them. The HIPAA access rule gives you the right to inspect and get a copy of the health information an office keeps about you. The office keeps its own file. What you are owed is a copy.

The right doesn’t depend on why you’re leaving. A move, a second opinion or a falling-out with the office all count the same.

How do you ask for them?

Put it in writing. An office can require a written request as long as it tells you so, and a written request gives you a date to point to later. A short email or a signed note covers it. Include:

• Your full name, date of birth and the phone number on your file.
• What you want: X-rays, the chart, periodontal charting, the treatment plan, or all of it.
• A date range, if you only need recent records.
• The format you want. More on that below, because it matters more than people expect.
• Where it should go: to you, or straight to your new dental office, with their name and address or email.

If the copy is going to another office, sign the request and name that office clearly. You can also skip all this and let the new office handle it. You sign their release form, they contact your old dentist, and the files move between the two offices.

What can they charge, and is there a deadline?

The fee has limits. Under that same federal rule, an office may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee that covers only the labor to make the copy, supplies such as a disc or USB drive if you ask for one, and postage if it is mailed. There’s a deadline too. The office has 30 days from receiving your request to act on it, and it can extend that once, by up to 30 more days, only if it tells you in writing why and gives you a new date.

Ask what the fee will be before they start. If a request goes quiet or the charge looks out of line, call the office first. If that goes nowhere, the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners licenses dentists here and takes complaints.

Which format should you ask for?

Ask for the original digital X-ray files. A printout loses detail, and a photo of a screen loses more. The next dentist needs to zoom in, adjust contrast and compare against new images. They cannot do that with a blurry picture.

When an office keeps records electronically and you ask for an electronic copy, it has to give you the format you asked for if it can readily produce it. If it can’t, you agree on another readable electronic format. A 3D scan is a large file, so ask how they plan to send it before you pick email.

At our office in Spring Valley we take digital X-rays and 3D cone beam scans, so your images already exist as files rather than film, which is the format the next dentist can actually work with.

Why might a new dentist take fresh X-rays anyway?

Older images can miss what has changed since. If yours are a few years old, or they were taken at an angle that doesn’t show the tooth in question, your new dentist may want new ones. That isn’t a sign your records were useless. They still show how things looked back then, which is useful on its own.

Bring your records to the first visit and ask the dentist to look at them before new images are taken. If you’re booking a regular checkup with us after a move from Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch or out of state, that one step can save you a repeat set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a deadline for sending my dental records?

Yes. Under the federal HIPAA access rule, an office has 30 days from receiving your request to act on it. It can extend that once, by up to 30 more days, if it tells you in writing why and when to expect the files. Put the request in writing so there is a clear date, and ask the front desk when to expect the files. If the deadline passes with no answer, follow up in writing. If that fails, the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners takes complaints.

Can my records go straight to my new dentist?

Yes. Send your old office a signed written request that names the new office and says where to send the copy. You can also let the new office do it. You sign their release form, the front desk asks your previous dentist, and the X-rays and chart move between offices without passing through your hands.

What should I ask for when I request my dental records?

Ask for your X-rays as original digital files, your chart notes, any periodontal charting and your current treatment plan. Add a date range if you only need recent records. Say where the copy should go. The more specific the request, the less chance the office sends a single bitewing and calls it your whole file.

Will my new dentist in Las Vegas accept X-rays from another office?

Usually, if the images are recent and clear enough to read. A dentist may still take new ones if yours are old, missing an angle, or don’t show the tooth they’re worried about. Bring your records and ask them to review what you have before they take a new set.

Can I get a copy of a 3D scan?

Yes. A cone beam scan is part of your record like any other X-ray. It’s a big file, so ask how the office will send it, whether that’s a secure download link, a disc or a USB drive. Ask ahead of time about any charge for the disc or drive.

Moving your care to Desert Hills Dental, or moving away from us? Call (725) 307-5569 or send a note through our contact page if you have a question about your records.