In case you haven’t been keeping up on the latest and greatest in dental technology, we’ve got you covered. Last month we talked about the Diagnodent, a tool that uses lasers to detect cavities inside your teeth that traditional methods can’t detect. This month, we bring you one of our favorite tools, the Panorex X-ray.
The Panorex differs from traditional X-rays because it allows dentists to get a panoramic view of your entire mouth and jaw. The dental X-rays that you’re probably most familiar with are called “bitewing” X-rays and they’re the ones that use a small tube, placed against your cheek, to take images of a few teeth at a time. Bitewing X-rays are still a very useful diagnostic tool for dentists and reveal detailed information about cavities and other issues with your teeth, just with a smaller scope.
The cool thing with having a panoramic X-ray is that you can see so much! With a Panorex single FMX, your dentist can view:0
- Your entire upper and lower jawbone
- Your temporomandibular joints (TMJ), or jaw joints
- The nasal sinuses and their surrounding bone
- The mandibular nerve, which provides sensation to the teeth and gums of the lower jaw
The process of getting a Panorex X-ray is pretty quick and easy. The patient stands under the X-ray machine, and their head is supported to maintain the correct position. The patient is asked to stay very still while the Panorex machine travels around the outside of their head. The entire scan takes approximately 20 seconds.
Dental X-rays are an important part of your exams and give valuable information that helps in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of dental issues. Cedar Cliff Dental Center uses all digital X-rays for many reasons, and the Panorex is no exception. Digital X-rays are a better option for many of the same reasons digital photos have become popular compared to traditional ones; they are easy to use, access, store and offer greater clarity. Digital X-rays also expose patients to lower amounts of radiation than traditional X-rays and are reported to expose the patient to the lowest dosage of radiation of any health care technology today.
Panorex X-Ray Example
For more information on X-ray radiation, be sure to check out another blog post of ours, Dental X-rays and Brain Tumors.