Sweet Lord, that is a white hot fear. When you remember the really old metal filling you have right before the machine kicks on.

The thought crossed my mind, to be sure! I talked about all that with the techs beforehand. "Are you sure this isn't going to yank my teeth out?" "Pretty sure. Now stop moving around."

They put metal detectors even in schools these days, can't they put one before the MRI lab?

I have permanent braces attached to the back of my teeth. I know they're magnetic, i can feel a slight pull if i hold a magnet close to them.

I don't know what i'll do if i ever need an MRI, otherwise i'd probably just find it cozy..

I have a simple hiatal hernia. One of the treatment options is to basically put a weighted band around your esophagus above the stomach so that the weight holds everything downward so your stomach doesn't get pulled up through the hernia. I imagined being in a car accident or some other situation where I'm nonresponsive, the doctor ordering an MRI, and me re-enacting the scene from Alien. Nah, I'll take my chances with the hernia, thanks.

Well - if it helps any - my understanding is that a doctor at an ER center would order a CT scan which is based on x-rays and can be done in a matter of a few minutes.

MRI scans are really reserved for things that don't image well on CT scans or when the resolution of a CT scan just isn't good enough. They also take quite a bit of time to perform.