In order to understand your orthodontic needs and create a personalized plan for your treatment, most Orthodontists will utilize Panoramic Digital X-Rays. This is a comfortable and effective method for an Orthodontist to evaluate every aspect of your smile. Unlike some older models used in the dental field, the Panoramic Digital X-Ray is of higher quality and allows the doctor to see the entire full upper and lower arch of a patient’s mouth. This will provide them with everything he/she needs to know about your smile before recommending orthodontic treatment.
What is a Panoramic Digital X-Ray and How Does It Work?
In order to provide patients with the best possible care, it is essential that an Orthodontist is able to accurately evaluate and diagnose a person’s oral health. The Panoramic Digital X-Ray is a state-of-the-art tool that is utilized outside of the mouth. That’s right, unlike traditional bitewing x-rays, these are done extraoral! Unlike bitewings which provide us with a view of a few teeth and supporting bone structure, the panoramic x-ray will expose the entire full upper and lower dental arches. This includes a view of all of the teeth, the upper and lower jaw bones, and the surrounding facial structure. With the use of this X-Ray, Orthodontists like us here at Freytag Orthodontics are able to:
- Assess the need for Orthodontic treatment and evaluate the progress of treatment
- Diagnose impacted wisdom teeth or other impacted teeth
- Diagnose dental concerns
- Evaluate the extent of dental and/or facial trauma
- Detect abscesses, cysts, and tumors
How Long Does it Take?
The Panoramic X-Ray itself will take less than 30 seconds. The dental assistant will ask you to remove any jewelry, or metal that you may have on prior to the X-Ray. You will then be given a leaded apron to wear for added protection. To ensure the image comes out properly, the assistant will have you to secure your teeth around a bite prop before initiating the photo process. The machine simply rotates itself around your head and provides the Orthodontist with high-definition, nearly instantaneous photos that can be used to evaluate your overall oral health.
How Long Do Panoramic Digital X-Ray’s Take? Are They Safe?
The nice thing about digital X-Rays is that they are quick and produce images almost instantly! With this type of technology, the Orthodontist is able to get a clear, crisp image of the inside of a patient’s mouth with only a fraction of the radiation – this makes it a safer option as well. Since the process creates a digital image, the photo can often be enhanced and examined in greater detail than ever before. At Freytag, this also allows us to share images quickly and more efficiently with your other dental health professionals.
At Freytag Orthodontics, we utilize Panoramic Digital X- Rays in both our Marana and Oro Valley locations. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at: (520) 365-6703