Long-term radiation effects such as cancer and genetic defects typically manifest after:

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Latency period is the key idea here. After radiation exposure, the development of cancer or heritable genetic changes doesn’t happen right away. These long-term, stochastic effects emerge after a long delay—often years or even decades—because the initial DNA damage may take many cell cycles to result in a malignant transformation or in mutations that can be passed to offspring. The process involves mutations that accumulate, clonal expansion of altered cells, and, for germline effects, effects that may not become evident until later in life or in a subsequent generation.

This is different from acute effects, which occur with very high doses over a short time and show up minutes to days after exposure. In dental imaging, where doses are low, the concern centers on the probabilistic, long-term risks accumulating over time rather than immediate tissue reactions.