Panoramic dental X-ray, when is it needed?

A panoramic dental X-ray is absolutely essential to assess your mouth and detect the various problems you may be suffering from. Your dentist performs it beforehand at each check-up, as well as to verify the evolution of your pathologies.

Nutrident.fr explains how this panoramic dental X-ray is used and how to obtain it, outside your dentist, if you want to proceed to a remote examination, especially to plan care abroad.

What is the purpose of a panoramic dental X-ray?

The panoramic X-ray is abbreviated as OPT or OPG, meaning orthopantomogram. It allows you to “photograph” your entire dentition in one shot: dental arches, maxillae, joints and sinuses. This gives the dentist an overview. He then decides if he needs more close-up shots to highlight a localized problem.

The panoramic dental X-ray allows the detection of lesions on the teeth, bones, as well as on the oral tissues that cover the gums and your entire oral world. The dentist can then identify the :

• dental caries ;
• cysts ;
• abscess ;
• various infections ;
• missing teeth (agenesis) ;
• supernumerary teeth ;
• wisdom tooth germs;
• tumors, etc.

The panoramic X-ray gives an overview of the position of the teeth and their condition. This is why it is as useful to the dental surgeon as it is to the orthodontist. It allows for a more precise diagnosis than a simple visual examination by the practitioner, especially since it allows you to see what is happening to the gums and jawbones.

Complementary examinations to the panoramic X-ray

If your dentist needs a more accurate view, or if there is a discrepancy between how you feel and what you see on the screen, he or she can perform a more thorough examination. He then performs a periapical x-ray that allows him to get a close-up of a smaller area of your mouth. He can also perform a dental scan that allows him to better assess the quality of your bone mass, as well as to verify that the terrain is suitable for a future dental implantation.

The price of a panoramic dental X-ray

The conventional rate paid by the health insurance is 20 €; it reimburses 70%, or 14 €. It's up to you to see if your health insurance company will reimburse you the difference of 6 €, or even more if your dentist charges a higher fee.

Dental panoramic X-ray for treatment abroad

If you are considering treatment abroad, for example in Hungary or Portugal, where treatment is much less expensive, you should prepare for your visit. A panoramic dental X-ray is then systematically requested in order to evaluate the work to be done in your mouth and to propose an estimate.

In this case, you can ask your doctor to prescribe this X-ray and have it done at an imaging center. You can also ask directly to a radiologist who is then considered as the prescriber of the act by the social security. Ask for your radio in digital format, so that you can send it by Internet.

Panoramic dental X-ray: FAQ