Panoramic X-ray in Budapest – what a dental focus of infection looks like

Types of dental X-ray at Clinident

Digital X-ray machines are an important part of a well-equipped dental clinic, as they help greatly in making an accurate diagnosis.

A dental assessment can only be thorough and precise with professional imaging equipment, and only X-ray images can assess the health of the oral cavity beyond any doubt.

• Panoramic X-ray: this is taken once, at the annual check-up. It is a panoramic image showing the entire oral cavity, which supports the oral examination.

• Intraoral X-ray: During root canal treatment, further images of the treated tooth are needed, for which an intraoral, or small dental, X-ray is used.
• CBCT scan: For planning a more complicated tooth extraction, oral surgery or dental implant placement, and for microscopic root canal treatment, a 3-dimensional image is the most informative tool; it can be taken of all the teeth or of a single tooth.
• Cephalometric X-ray: For planning fixed braces, a cephalometric X-ray is also taken. This image shows the entire skull.

When is a panoramic X-ray needed?

Without dental X-rays, it would be much harder to identify the source of symptoms, and problems that do not announce themselves with severe toothache, but still harm our teeth and health, could not be detected in time.

With the most commonly used panoramic X-ray, the dentist gets a complete picture of the teeth, while an intraoral X-ray, showing a smaller area, provides a high-resolution image of the specific problem.

A panoramic image is needed:

1. During dental screening. An X-ray is recommended once a year to check previously treated teeth.

• It helps identify tooth decay,
• Fillings and root-filled teeth can be monitored, and gum recession and peri-implantitis, i.e. inflammation around an implant, can be identified.
• A timely examination can prevent more serious problems and more costly treatments

2. When searching for foci of infection. X-rays are also a huge help in searching for foci of infection and in cancer screening.

• They help identify an infected tooth, chronic tooth inflammation or a cyst, which can trigger focal disease (hair loss, cardiovascular disease, respiratory complaints, etc.).

3. Before major treatments. It is essential before complex oral rehabilitation treatments, shows the position of the teeth, and helps with oral surgery and periodontal procedures, or when planning orthodontic treatment.

4. During specialist consultations.

Imaging reveals hidden problems even before treatment begins, so you can expect a more accurate treatment plan and more predictable treatment without surprises.

The steps of taking a panoramic X-ray

Taking a panoramic X-ray is the very first step for patients coming for a dental assessment. Even sceptical patients get proof of dental problems and foci of infection such as tooth decay, cysts, inflammatory processes in the jawbone or a poorly developed tooth.

This is the diagnostic tool that:

• Successfully complements the manual examination of the teeth.
• Helps identify the source of pain before the procedure.
• Makes both diagnosis and dental treatment faster and more effective.

How can taking an X-ray be safe?

With modern technology, taking an X-ray has no harmful effects on the body. Thanks to digital technology, we are exposed to only minimal radiation, which does not put a strain on the body. This requires following certain safety regulations and steps. We hold a valid licence issued by the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority to carry out X-ray activities.

Step 3:

• While the image is being taken, i.e. during exposure, you must wait motionless in the position set and fixed by the operator until the machine has finished.
• During this time, the operator waits in a separate room.
• For a panoramic image, the machine rotates around the head, which usually takes 5–10 seconds.
• During this time you must not move, but you can of course breathe.

How dental foci of infection are searched for

If a disease is difficult to control and responds poorly to medication, the search for the underlying causes begins. In this case, the dentist looks for processes deep within that may be spreading bacteria through the body.

Dental foci of infection include, for example:

• inflammation remaining after root canal treatment,
• hidden, untreated root canals,
• cysts and inflamed pockets,
• gum recession,
• or a fragment of root left in the jawbone.

What can an infected tooth cause in the body?

Patients often come to have foci of infection searched for because a specialist in another field has asked them to. They are trying to uncover the source of certain symptoms.

The following may indicate a dental focus of infection:

• complaints affecting the ovaries or prostate,
• joint pain,
• hair loss,
• eczema,
• allergic symptoms,
• and even cardiovascular disease.

In our patient’s case, because of the infected teeth:

• The implants were put at risk. This is indicated by the dark “hollow” area around the tips of the implants, and inflammation around the tooth roots also becomes clearly visible.
• Bacteria escaping from the foci posed a risk to other organs too, which explained our patient’s other physical symptoms.

• It was necessary to remove several teeth and the lower right implants (visible on the left side of the X-ray), and also to stop the gum disease. The patient was treated by both a periodontist and an oral surgeon.

When a panoramic X-ray is not enough – When does dental CT help?

Compared with the 2 dimensions of a digital X-ray, dental CT provides a more detailed diagnosis and helps plan dental procedures even more precisely.

With a CT scan, it is also possible to image only the tooth to be treated, so patients are never exposed to unnecessary radiation.

In any case, a 3D dental X-ray does not involve more radiation than a digital X-ray, so it is safe and can be used routinely.

A dental CT scan is actually a 3-dimensional X-ray.

• Procedures can be planned down to the smallest detail.
• A CBCT scan shows the jaw in slices, giving an extremely precise image.
• It gives us a view of areas we could previously only see from one angle.
• The slices of the CT scan can be moved, rotated and magnified.

Which treatments does dental CT help with?

Implantation:

Before implant placement, it helps plan the ideal location, size and position of the implant.

Guided implantation:

Based on the CT scan, a special surgical guide is made for the operation, which guides the surgeon during the procedure. Guided implantation ensures maximum precision.

Oral surgery:

It helps with surgical wisdom tooth removal, with removing a tooth root left in the jawbone, or with determining the extent of cysts and granulomas.

Root canal treatment:

It allows the extent of inflammation at the root of the tooth and the number of root canals to be determined precisely, and helps find root canals that have not been treated.

In microscopic root canal treatment, this information fundamentally determines the success of the procedure.

Recommended for you! Comprehensive examination and health maintenance at Clinident

Our X-ray screenings are safe

• Our equipment holds valid licences.
• During imaging, radiation exposure is minimal and concentrated solely on taking the image, so the machines do not emit radiation outside of exposure.

Treatment based on detailed images

• The panoramic X-rays and CT scans used at our clinic provide extremely precise images.
• We can provide professional treatment and spare our patients many unnecessary procedures.

Health in focus! Regular screening – District 13

• Clinident Dental Clinic also offers patients professional care when searching for foci of infection.
• With our regular dental check-ups, root canal treatment can be prevented, and even gum disease that leads to tooth loss can be kept under control.

Empathetic care, personalised treatment

• At Clinident, dentists do not focus only on treatments, but also follow up their patients after previous dental procedures.
• Their dedication is also reflected in the thoroughness with which they care for patients coming for regular check-ups, which is perhaps why we have so many satisfied and healthy patients.

Dental X-ray prices – CBCT and dental X-ray in Budapest

This article explained the process of safe X-ray imaging. We learnt whether we need to worry about harmful radiation from panoramic X-rays, as well as what a dental focus of infection looks like on a panoramic X-ray and what it causes in the mouth.

The prices of our digital examinations can be found in the price list menu.