Panorex

Question: Can a regular dentist spot periodontal gum disease just by looking at my gums? I've gone to two dentist because lately my front bottom teeth have been shifting and feeling loose. They've even taken panorex x-rays. They say my gums are receding because I grind my teeth, should I get a third opinion?

Answer: yea you could get a third opinion. after all, you're more aware of your body than anyone else is. BUT, yes just by looking at your gums they can tell. Very easily actually. chances are if these 2 dentists said that you don't have it, be thankful and try to stop grinding those damn teeth

Question: How do you tell if a tooth on x-ray is impacted in the gum? Is there a certain thing to look for on a panorex to see if a tooth is impacted? If it is, can teeth generally that are impacted (i.e. canines)be 'brought down'?

Answer: Generally with an x-ray, the x-ray technician releases a sheet in the xray file to tell you what's impacted, or still in the mandible (underneath the gum) or decayed etc. If a canine is impacted, you'll see it above the others, trying to slot in between two teeth (if it's under the fine surface layer of gum). I have an impacted canine (13th tooth), and my orthodontist is trying to bring it down by using a maxillary expander (quadhelix) expander. I'd already had three molars extracted (36th, 26th tooth and 16th tooth) so he doesn't have to remove any other teeth. A quad helix expander will widen the jaw, (as i have an extremely tiny upper jaw, with crowding) and he hopes that the canine tooth will be able to be moved into position when enough space is created. My quad helix expander is going to be on for 3 months, and then hopefully my impacted 13th (canine) tooth will be moved down into position and then have my braces on for 18 months. If that doesn't work, additional teeth (such as wisdom teeth) need to be extracted to make even more room. (Surgical option). Canine's are very important teeth, as they help rip food, and help make the teeth symetrical in order to have an ideal cross-bite. Speak to your genral dentist if you're worried about an impacted canine tooth, and ask for a refferal to an orthodontist (or maxillary surgeon)

Question: Is there more radiation damage risk if you have an open cavity in your mouth? Thinking of allowing a panorex or PA to be done but concerned about the extraction cavity being new and open and wondered if the risk to the cells are greater if they have not 'healed'...any ideas?

Answer: There is no more damage or risk getting the x-rays done than if your extraction cavities were healed. Remember, x-rays, like bullets from a gun, go through the tissue and are bounced back off the bone to some degree.

Question: what in the world is wrong with me? for two weeks i have had pain. facial pain. from the jaw to the back of the neck. it'll shift constantly. it came out of no where. and i'm a sufferer of a typical monthly headache.. but this is unlike normal headaches. its a dull pain, more of a 'full' feeling. ive had my blood tested... no infection, no change in blood cell count, etc. i'm clean of all that. no inflamation of joints. it just doesn't make sense. i had a sinus CAT scan friday, results tomorrow. and i have a Panorex at a maxiooral surgeon tomorrow. so if its not over-filled sinus' or wisdom teeth/tmj.. is it some kind of tumor?

Answer: I am not a doctor or nurse. But it sounds like a nerve to me. Look for over the counter medicine for inflammation.

Question: for orthodontic what needs to be done first? x-rays photostudy modals panorex

Answer: defenitly x-rays.

Question: Dentists/Hygenists? I have a question for you. I had a panorex done on Friday. The hygenist looking at it said "I see you had braces." I did. They are long gone. How did she know by looking at the pan? I forgot to ask her and was too busy realing from the price of the splint I'm going to need for my TMJ to ask later. Makes sense. I wonder why the TMJ is only showing up now, many, many, many years after my braces were removed. Probably the added stress.

Answer: DId you have teeth removed as part of your ortho treatment? That is a sign that I look for is when the 4 premolar teeth may have been extracted. Also, some people who had aggressive movement during ortho may demonstrate some root resorption radiographically, she may have noticed some and it is a tell tale sign of previous ortho treatment. On another note, if you are grinding your teeth and suffering with TMJ and now need a nightguard, another indication is that ortho may have caused your grinding issues. Simply put, your teeth are not where they are biologically suppose to be, thus you grind them to offset your teeth trying to move back into place. We see almost 99% of people grind their teeth when they had ortho. Hope this helps!

Question: Does pulling baby teeth make the permanent ones come in quicker? My orthodontist wants my 12 year old to have 6 baby teeth pulled (3 on either side) as he sees the permanent (on the panorex) are coming in at an angle within the gum and therefore, not eating away at the root of the baby teeth to make them fall out. One of the permanent is even intersected with another permanent within the gum. 4 of the 6 permanent (including canine) look to be still somewhat higher in the gum and as she just got her central incisor at 11 y.o., I think it will be awhile before they descend. Will pulling out the baby teeth result in the permanent ones coming in quicker?

Answer: this won't make the permanent teeth come in quicker, they will continue at their current speed, but it will give them a chance to come in at better angles than they are currently coming in at, and they won't be blocked by the baby teeth when they are ready to immerge. plus, if the permanent teeth aren't resorbing the baby teeth but are still coming in, there could be complications with the baby teeth falling out on their own, making it necessary for them to be pulled later anyhow.

Question: What dental x-ray shows the four front teeth with roots? Is the panorex the only x-ray that would show the roots of the four front teeth on ONE x-ray (not alot of perapicals put together...) Is there a two-dimensional x-ray that would for instance show the root of a baby canine and the permant canine as well as the lateral incisor root all in one x-ray. Would the 'occlusal' x-ray? show all four maxillary teeth with any impactions? The panorex I have looks unclear. Thanks for any helpful responses.

Answer: Occlusograph would work. So would a periapical; the lower teeth are quite thin and you could probably fit all four on one size2 film

Question: Would like dental professionals advice re: crowding? Please see the link below to my 12 y.o.'s panorex : http://photobucket.com/photobucket_daughter Given her teeth have all come in 2-3 years late (just got central incisors this past year); what would your most conservative recommendation be? I am concerned removing 6 baby teeth all at once (3 each side) as my ortho recommends will leave her with only one back tooth for chewing and asthetics and may even migrate forward in the time it may take if and when the others arrive. I am also concerned that if so many primary teeth are extracted that there are no 'back ups' in the event the others do not present themselves? Am I being anxious for nothing or is this a complex case and what would you do if it was your daughter/patient? THANKS!

Answer: FROM HER PAN I DISTINCTLY SEE MANY KEY IMPORTANT TEETH WHICH WILL ERUPT ULTIMATELY AND THOUGH HER CASE IS UNUSUAL IT IS NOT UNKNOWN. SHE'S JUST A VERY LATE BLOOMER AND YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT. IF IT WERE MY DAUGHTER I WOULD WAIT FOR ALL TEETH TO COME IN.

Question: Can you get sick from an X-Ray? Today I had a panorex (dental x-ray) done in a consultation to have my wisdom teeth removed. I felt fine for about an hour or so and then I started to feel sick. I feel nauseous and have a headache. This has never happened to me before when I had other x-rays done at the regular dentist office and even when I broke my foot. They did use the lead coat and even sterilized the machine right in front of me. I will mention that I am taking vicodin for the pain in my mouth, but I had taken the pill well over an hour before my appointment. The nurse and doctor didn't say anything about the pill and the x-ray not going well together so I don't think it has anything to do with that.. If you can be of any help, it would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: Oddly enough, on rare occasions Vicodin can nauseate you and give you a headache. It happens to me every time I take it. Perhaps you should change painkillers.

Question: I went to my orthodontist and had a panoramic (?) x-ray taken. I didn't have a lead apron on. A problem? Hi, I went to my orthodontist yesterday and they took one of those x-rays where you can see all of your teeth on one sheet (on panorex (?) film) and the new lady working there didn't tell me to put on a lead apron or to take off my metal jewelry. Luckily, I read the instructions on the machine and took off my necklace and put it three/four feet away from the machine (but, it was still in the same area). However, I still did not have that apron on during the x-ray. Is there anything to be worried about?

Answer: A necklace will not interfer with a panoramic x-ray of your teeth. We remove jewelry if it is in the area of interest. So, in this case, earrings or a tongue or lip ring would need to be removed. It sounds like you are worried that the x-ray could have harmed your jewelry, but that is not the case. If it is in the area of interest, it can end up superimposed over that area of interest, and that is why we have you remove it. X-rays do not fly all willy nilly around a room. They are highly directed beams of radiation, which only expose the area of interest. Twenty years ago, scatter radiation from dental x-rays was a real problem, but technology has nearly eliminated that risk. The following website questions answered by qualified personnel who are experts in radiation and its effects. Here is a similar situation: "QUESTION: I recently had some dental x rays and the operator forgot to place the lead apron on me. Is this a problem? ANSWER: Use of the lead apron to protect the patient undergoing dental radiographic examination was recommended some 50 years ago, when equipment was crude. This was because x-ray beams were not restricted to the area of clinical interest, beams were not filtered, and x-ray film was slower, causing radiation exposures 10 to 100 times higher than received today. With the current technology reducing radiation exposure significantly and the beam limited only to the area of interest, there is little or no measurable difference in whole-body dose whether a lead apron is used or not. The lead apron is no longer regarded as essential although some consider it a prudent practice, especially for pregnant and potentially pregnant females." http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/dentalpatientissuesq&a.html

Question: How much does a Panorex X-ray cost? I was just wondering, I'm gonna need braces and I need to know how much the X-ray procedure is, I already have the full mouth x-ray. And also if you guys know any Orthodontics Discounts that could help me with the price of braces PLEASE do tell. Any other suggestions are also appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Answer: A PANOREX IS PART OF THE WHOLE INCLUDED COST FOR THE ORTHODONTiCS. AS A SEPARATE RADIOGRAPH THE PRICE MAY BE $65-95 GET AND USE A WATERPIK TO CLEAN THE BRACES AFTER THEY'RE ON

Question: Where Can I find an Orthodontist in California willing to remove braces? I have been searching threads desperate for a way to get mine off before they ruined my teeth. My sister removed here herself, when my mother couldn't afford to pay, and her teeth are fine, but I didn't want to risk it. However it is a lose lose situation, can't afford to maintain nor take of or risk permanent discoloration of my enamel after a year of not having it maintained. My orthodontist knew i was going to grad school on the east coast before he put them on. I didn't anticipate how hard it would be to find somebody who took transfer patients. Many said they don't accept transfers, or they would have to remove their work and 8 months of progress and start over. I didn't want to waste that $ and time, but nobody really did the damon system. A year later, with a couple brackets gone and wire cutting into my jaw (I couldn't even have local orthodontists fix that without becoming a patient) I resorted to using nail clippers to fix (totally easy to do btw) . However with the missing brackets= less tension and i could see my teeth shifting back, progress ruined (all that pain and money for nothing).This prisoner in my mouth feeling is awful. You pay a fortune to get them on, but outside orthodontists called it unethical to take them off, they are all in cahoots, an oligopoly, requiring release forms, asking for more than what it cost to install. Hello! its unethical to let people's teeth get permanently ruined when they had a problem in the first place, adding insult to injury. In medicine doctors have to treat patients regardless of who's patient they were previously, and ability to pay. It is unethical to refuse treatment. imagine if you had cub feet, and needed your foot broken and reset to walk properly, and you paid the doctor to put the cast on etc. Then you could no longer afford to pay and he left you in your cast until your muscles completely atrophied permanently ruining any chances of walking again, leaving you worse off than you started. I called several places in the bay area california (my last residence) New york (current residence), and fresno california (hometown). There are 2 places in california, one in oakland, my original orthodontist that will do it for $200 which is better than some of the quotes ($1500) that place requires a panorex which is more money if you are like me paying out of pocket. A place in alameda does a flat fee of $215 didn't mention needing xrays. It bugs me that they need xrays! I don't want a retainer! The cheapest by far is $100 WOW that was what i was hoping to pay. The receptionist said she knows that they are the cheapest. They are located in fresno,ca. So either call around fresno or email me. I am not going to post, simply because I'm suspicious of the dental associations and their so called ethic, i don't want this ortho office to be targeted as "unethical" defector, simply because they take the hippocratic oath seriously and don't want to see people come out of orthodontics worse than how they came in. In my case I lost my job and insurance and my grad school COLUMBIA (ironically studying medicine and public health lol) didn't cover orthodontists. I have read a lot of threads a lot coming from innocent children whose parents couldn't afford it and their orthodontists refusing to take them out for free for the child's sake. This should be illegal! So next time i will try invisalign because they are a retainer and if i can't afford to continue treatment at least i won't lose progress, nor will i worry about my teeth staining, or cheeks being prodded by wire! I was hoping universal health care would happen so that me and my posterity would laugh at how inane and cruel our health care system was, but looks like that too is being repealed! Email me if you want to get these off for CHEAP! I Don't want others to go through this!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer: You should post your question to the ArchWired.com Metal Mouth Message Board. You will get real and better answers there: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/index.ph…