Skip to main content
Oral Surgeons of Indiana logo
PayCallText

Patient Resource

Imaging & X-Rays in Oral Surgery

A plain-language guide to the X-rays and scans we take in our office — and the medical-grade CT or MRI we sometimes order through your physician — so you know exactly what each image is for.

Imaging We Take in the Office

Every image is captured digitally on our equipment and reviewed with you the same visit.

Periapical X-ray

Single-tooth detail

What it is: A small digital sensor is placed inside your mouth next to one or two teeth, and a quick X-ray captures the entire tooth — crown to root tip — along with the surrounding bone.

What it shows: Fine detail of an individual tooth: cavities, cracks, the root canal, the bone level around the root, abscesses, and how a previous filling or crown is sitting.

When we use it:

  • Pinpoint a single painful tooth
  • Check the root tip for infection or a cyst
  • Verify a tooth is fully out before extraction planning
  • Follow-up after a root-tip surgery

Radiation: Among the lowest-dose images in dentistry — comparable to a few hours of natural background radiation.

Logistics: Captured at your visit on our digital sensors. Image is on the screen within seconds.

Panoramic X-ray (panorex)

Whole-mouth overview

What it is: A flat, single-image scan that rotates around your head and produces a wide, 2D view of all your teeth, both jaws, the sinuses above your upper teeth, and the jaw joints.

What it shows: The big-picture view: position of wisdom teeth, impacted or extra teeth, cysts and tumors, jaw fractures, the sinus floor, and the overall shape of the upper and lower jaws.

When we use it:

  • Initial wisdom-teeth evaluation
  • Screening before braces or implants
  • Looking for cysts, tumors, or other lesions in the jaws
  • Suspected jaw fracture (as an initial view)

Radiation: Roughly equivalent to about a day of background radiation. A protective lead apron and thyroid collar are used.

Logistics: Taken in our office in under a minute. You stand still while the arm rotates around your head.

Cone Beam CT (CBCT)

3D dental scan

What it is: A focused 3D scan of the jaws and teeth taken on a dental cone-beam machine. The result is a true three-dimensional model of your bone, teeth, nerves, and sinuses.

What it shows: Bone height and width, the exact path of the inferior alveolar nerve, the floor of the sinus, the angulation of impacted teeth, root anatomy, and the geometry needed for surgical planning.

When we use it:

  • Planning dental implant placement
  • Mapping nerve position before removing impacted lower wisdom teeth
  • Evaluating pathology, cysts, or tumors in the jaws
  • Sinus assessment before a sinus lift or upper-back implants
  • Complex extractions and bone grafting planning

Radiation: Higher dose than a panoramic X-ray but a small fraction of a medical CT — and we use the smallest field of view that answers the clinical question (ALARA).

Logistics: Performed in our office on the same visit as your consultation. The 3D data is reviewed with you on screen.

Imaging We May Order Externally

For complex cases we coordinate with your physician or a hospital imaging center. These studies are usually billed to medical (not dental) insurance.

Medical-grade CT (multi-slice)

Hospital-quality 3D

What it is: A CT scanner at a hospital or imaging center captures fine 3D slices of the head, face, and neck. It produces a far broader and higher-resolution dataset than a dental CBCT.

What it shows: Complex facial fractures, deep facial-space infections, sinus and skull-base anatomy, large pathology, and reconstruction planning.

When we use it:

  • Significant facial trauma — orbit, mid-face, or mandible fractures
  • Suspected deep neck or facial-space infection
  • Large or aggressive jaw pathology that extends beyond a CBCT field
  • Pre-surgical planning for major reconstruction

Radiation: Higher radiation dose than a CBCT, but the right tool when the clinical picture demands it.

Logistics: Ordered through your physician, the emergency department, or a hospital-based imaging center. Images are sent to us electronically or on a disc.

MRI

Soft-tissue detail

What it is: Magnetic resonance imaging uses a strong magnet — no radiation — to make highly detailed pictures of soft tissues such as muscle, nerve, salivary glands, and the disc inside the jaw joint.

What it shows: The position and condition of the TMJ disc, soft-tissue masses, salivary-gland disease, nerve and muscle anatomy, and changes in the floor of the mouth or tongue.

When we use it:

  • Persistent TMJ pain when an internal-disc problem is suspected
  • Soft-tissue mass that needs further characterization
  • Suspected salivary-gland disease
  • Trigeminal-nerve evaluation in select cases

Radiation: No ionizing radiation. The trade-off is cost, scan time (often 30+ minutes), and that some patients with certain implants or claustrophobia need accommodations.

Logistics: Ordered through your physician or directly through a diagnostic imaging center. Most plans require medical (not dental) insurance authorization.

Less commonly, we may also work with your physician to order an ultrasound, sialography of the salivary glands, or PET/CT — each used for very specific clinical questions.

When Do You Order What?

A side-by-side look at the most common situations and the imaging we typically reach for.

Clinical situationTypical first imageWhere it's done
Single painful toothPeriapical X-rayOur office
Wisdom-teeth evaluationPanoramic X-ray (CBCT if impacted)Our office
Implant planningCBCT (3D)Our office
Complex extraction near a nerve or sinusCBCT (3D)Our office
Suspected jaw cyst or tumorPanoramic + CBCTOur office
Major facial trauma (broken cheek, orbit, mid-face)Medical CTHospital / ED
Deep facial or neck infectionMedical CT with contrastHospital / ED
Persistent TMJ pain (suspected disc problem)MRI of the TMJImaging center
Salivary-gland mass or swellingMRI or ultrasoundImaging center

Radiation Safety at OSOI

We follow the ALARA principle — As Low As Reasonably Achievable. That means we only order an image when it will actually change your treatment plan, we use the lowest settings and smallest field of view that answer the clinical question, and we offer a lead apron and thyroid collar for every X-ray and CBCT.

Children are imaged on child-specific settings whenever available, and pregnant patients should always tell us before any imaging so we can postpone non-urgent studies.

If you have questions about a specific scan we have recommended, please ask — we are happy to walk you through what we are looking for and why.

Imaging FAQ

Common Questions About Imaging

Have a Scan or X-Ray to Send Us?

Patients and referring offices can send imaging ahead of a visit so we can review it before you arrive.

(317) 876-1095For Referring DoctorsContact Us
Dental & Medical Imaging Explained | X-Rays, CBCT, CT & MRI | Oral Surgeons of Indiana