Finding the right tests…
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Finding the right tests…
X-Ray
An OPG, or orthopantomogram, is a single rotating X-ray capturing your entire set of teeth, both jaws, and both jaw joints in one wide image. The machine moves in an arc around your head while you bite a small guide, rather than using a film placed inside your mouth. Dentists use it to screen for cavities, bone loss, impacted wisdom teeth, and to plan extractions, implants, or braces where a full view of the jaws matters more than one close-up tooth. Because the image comes from a single sweep, sizes on it are not perfectly to scale, more so for back teeth than front ones. It gives a wide overview, not the fine detail of a close-up periapical film.
The image shows every tooth, both jawbones, the sinus floors, and both jaw joints in one wide film. Your dentist scans it for cavities, bone level, wisdom tooth position, and any cysts or unusual shadows across the jaws, though close-up detail on any single tooth is limited compared with a periapical film.
An OPG works differently from other dental X-rays. Instead of a film placed inside your mouth, the machine rotates around your head in an arc while an X-ray beam and detector move together, building one flat image out of a curved structure.
Because it covers the whole mouth in one image, an OPG is a common first step for wisdom tooth assessment, screening before braces, and planning ahead of extractions or implants. It also happens to include the jaw joints and the lower part of the sinuses, so unrelated findings there sometimes show up too.
- The image is built from a curved sweep, so sizes and distances are not perfectly to scale, and research shows this distortion is larger at the back teeth than the front - Overlapping teeth or bone in some regions can hide a small cavity that a close-up periapical film would catch - For precise measurements before implant surgery, a 3D scan is often used alongside or instead of an OPG
You will bite down on a small plastic guide and stay still while the machine circles your head for the exposure. No film goes inside your mouth for this particular X-ray.
A regular periapical X-ray uses a film inside your mouth to focus on one or two teeth, while an OPG rotates around your head to capture all your teeth and both jaws in one image. Your dentist picks whichever answers their specific question.
It can show larger cavities and bone loss, but overlapping teeth in some areas can hide smaller cavities that a close-up periapical film would catch. Your dentist may order both if needed.
Yes, glasses, earrings, hairpins, and any removable dental appliance or jewellery near the head should come off, since these can show up on the image. The technologist will tell you exactly what to remove.
Yes, it is one of the more common reasons for ordering this X-ray, since it shows the position and angle of wisdom teeth relative to the jaw and nearby teeth in one image. Your dentist reviews it before deciding on removal.
This page is general information about the test, not medical advice. Your own report's reference ranges apply — please discuss your results with your doctor.
The image is built from a rotating sweep, so sizes are not perfectly to scale, and research shows more distortion at the back teeth than the front. For precise measurements before implants, your dentist may use additional imaging.
Tell your dentist and the technologist if you are or might be pregnant before the scan. A lead apron is typically used, and your dentist will confirm whether it is the right time for the X-ray.
Yes, you will bite gently on a small plastic guide that helps hold your jaw in the correct position while the machine rotates around your head. This keeps the image sharp and consistent.