Why Does My Dentist Take A Panoramic X-Ray?

“Did My Teeth Need Root Canal?”

“Why Do I Even Need Braces When
My Teeth Look Fine?”

“Oh, Man! This Appointment Did
Empty My Pockets.”

We often keep wondering why there
are so many procedures that our dentists conduct all the time. Drilling the
teeth for this, filling a tooth for that; dental doctors operate on people for
different reasons, a lot of which you wouldn’t even know existed.

Among so many questions, one that
is prevalent among patients is “Why Does My Dentist Need a Panoramic X-Ray of
My Teeth?” Well, we are here to answer it for you. There are a variety of
reasons why dentists use Panoramic X-Rays today.

The reason for using them is not
only dependent on the patient’s current health, but also the technology,
related costs, and the future use of the images. Let us understand why you need
them.

The image that Panoramic X-Rays produce gives a
bigger picture when compared to the usual imaging. When we call it a bigger
picture, we do not mean it only metaphorically but in the technical sense too.

Unlike the traditional X-Rays,
the images you get with Panorama let your dentists get a view of all your teeth
in a single image. It often happens with conventional imaging that people after
getting one of their teeth treated from their dentists experience similar
problems in their adjacent teeth later.

Such a missed diagnosis usually
occurs with regular X-Rays because it only gives them the information about
what is going on with that one tooth being imaged and not the others. With
Panoramic ones, Dentists wouldn’t miss the diagnosis of adjacent and other teeth
as they get to see the complete picture of the mouth.

Unlike the older methods of
taking X-Ray of your mouth, there is very little time that is required for
panoramic to take place. There are hardly any preparations needed for the Panoramic
imaging of your teeth.

After providing and letting you
change your clothes to prevent radiation from interacting with the rest of your
body, dentists take you to the X-Ray machine for the imaging. A few seconds
into the process, and it is complete in no time.

A quicker X-Ray method leads to a
faster diagnosis, and the dentist can fix the issues more efficiently. Time is,
therefore, a crucial reason for dentists to use the Panoramic vision of your
teeth. It comes in handy to treat dental problems like Oral X-Rays which may go
on to become bigger later.

The world is moving towards new
technology each day, then why should your dentists stay behind? Panoramic
X-Rays are one of the newest developments in the dentistry sphere when compared
to the regular ones.

The outdated X-Ray methods may
appear to be a cheaper option to some, but considering the advantages like
better diagnosis, hygiene, and efficiency, Panorama justifies its costs. When
using the regular X-Ray methods to check the patient’s mouth, a dentist will
not only take a whole lot of time, but it will also be expensive to the
patients.

As panoramas are relatively new
to the scene and even today, developments in improving its working are going
on. Being the latest technology that it is, Panorama X-Ray procedures are made
easier and less time-consuming when compared to other X-Rays.

The sensors used to get the
regular X-Ray images of teeth is not at all hygienic for the patients. The
sensors require regular disinfection after each use. If there is not much care
taken in the disinfection of these sensors, then infections may spread in the
patients.

Panoramic X-Ray imaging
eliminates the need for disinfection as there is very less contact that is
needed in the process. So, it is highly unlikely for you to leave the clinic
with a new dental problem when you use a panoramic X-ray instead of older X-Ray
methods.

When it comes down to oral
health, patients and dentists are very concerned about the hygiene of the
equipment, gloves, and the materials being used. Panoramic X-Ray comes in as a
valuable option for the dentists today, who can get the better images of their
patient’s teeth without compromising on their hygiene.

Dentists do not only get the
images of your teeth when they use Panoramic X-Rays but they also get to find
the cysts, potential tumors, and infections affecting your mouth. The dentists
can detect such problems in early stages with Pan, and stop them from becoming
a threat in the future.

If the dentists are very sure of
only one of the teeth being affected with a problem, they would not be using
Panoramic X-Rays on the patients. But if they detect major problems like teeth
fracture, or an infection affecting the whole mouth, they often consider the
pans.

As Panoramic X-Rays give the
dentist an idea about all the teeth and their relative positions, it is easier
for them to compare the earlier and latest X-Rays of the patients. The
comparisons allow them to notice the shifting of teeth over the years, and the
information in these images can be trusted to make decisions like using braces
for the teeth.

Wisdom tooth pain, which is a
common issue among teenagers, is also tracked better when dentists use
panoramas. Panoramic x-rays are very useful to the dentist when they need to
diagnose young children. It is not easy to use older X-Ray methods where they
place films in mouths and take time to imagine their teeth.

Panoramic X-Ray is truly very
beneficial for patients and dentists using it. So, next time your dentist
suggests getting a Pan X-Ray of your mouth, then you know that you are in the
right hands.