Panoramic X-Rays

A panoramic X-ray is an invaluable tool that gives our dentists a two-dimensional view of the entire mouth in a single image. With amazing clarity, panoramic X-rays allow our dentists to inspect your teeth, upper and lower jaws, surrounding structures, and tissues. Using advanced dentistry diagnostics, including our panoramic X-rays, we are able to provide comprehensive care for patients from one year of age.

Panoramic dental X-rays use only minimal ionizing radiation to capture the entire mouth in just one image. The images from the pan X-ray allow us to plan treatment for dentures, clear braces, extractions, and replacing teeth. We can also see wisdom teeth and anomalies in your jawbones. With our digital dental X-rays, you need not wait for the dentist to develop your films and make his assessment. We can look at the X-rays at the same appointment we took because the images are available and saved immediately.

In addition to what we mentioned above, panoramic X-rays are the preferred tool to see the following:

X-rays are a form of radiation that easily passes through most objects, even the human body. Our dental assistants aim the X-ray at the area of the head and mouth that is of interest to your dentist. The machine produces a small burst of radiation that passes through your body, and that radiation records an image on a special sensor.

During a panoramic X-ray, the X-ray tube rotates in a semicircle around the patient’s head, starting at one side of the jaw and ending at the other. We will store your X-ray images in your electronic chart, which will be easily accessible to our dental team and any other medical professionals involved in the treatment process.

The digital format also allows us to adjust and change the image’s contrast, brightness, and darkness to see specific structures and tissues more clearly. Once the images are saved and stored in your electronic file, they cannot be altered, so your images will always be ready for us to compare future images should that ever be necessary.

As with any X-ray, you must let us know if you are pregnant, but there are no risks with having panoramic X-rays taken; only benefits. These include:

• No radiation stays in your body after a digital panoramic x-ray.
• X-rays usually have no side effects.
• Panoramic dental X-rays provide valuable advanced diagnostic information to create a treatment plan.
• Panoramic X-rays can be used for very young children since the film does not have to be placed inside the mouth as with previous types of panoramic X-rays.

Though panoramic X-rays are a valuable tool for our dentists, there are some limitations in what they can provide, and for that reason, we offer a number of different types of X-rays to give us views of the other structures of the mouth. You may need bitewing or periapical X-rays to get the best view of a particular problem area. A panoramic X-ray does not provide precise, detailed information about each tooth or soft tissue, such as the muscles. It is typically reserved for an initial evaluation of the bones and teeth.

Your mouth is curved, so the panoramic X-ray can sometimes create a slightly blurry image where accurate measurements of your teeth and jaw are not possible. If this is the case, we also have CBCT, which stands for Cone Beam Computed Tomography and provides a three-dimensional view of the teeth, jaws, face, ears, nose, and throat.

Compared to other X-rays, a dental CBCT scan is a more detailed and effective method of capturing information. CBCT technology also uses less radiation and requires fewer scans to see the different views and angles of your mouth. Also, CBCT can show clear images of bones and soft tissues.

You can rest assured that we offer only the latest, most advanced dental imaging in the area. When providing unrivaled Cosmetic Dentistry, Restorative Dentistry, and Dental Sleep Medicine, your dental team must stay on the cutting edge of the latest technological advances. We do just that, and we are thrilled to share our dental images with our patients so they can see what our dentists see and understand why a certain dental treatment is necessary.

The innovative technology at Family Comprehensive & Cosmetic Dentistry lets our dentists get a clearer picture of your mouth, teeth, and jawbones. Please call us today at (910) 353-5171 if you’d like to schedule a new patient appointment. You may also fill out our online contact form, and one of our team members will reach out soon to help with scheduling and answer any questions you may have.

If you are looking for a Jacksonville, NC, dentist with the most advanced technology available today, please look no further than Family Comprehensive & Cosmetic Dentistry, conveniently located behind First Citizens Bank on Western Boulevard Extension.