An OPG is a panoramic or wide view x-ray of the lower face, which displays all the teeth of the upper and lower jaw on a single film. It demonstrates the number, position, and growth of all the teeth including those that have not yet surfaced or erupted.
Why do you need to perform an OPG?
OPG is performed while you go for a general dental checkup and it can also be used to detect and evaluate the problems such as:
Assessment to be carried out for the placement of dental implants.
It can also be used for planning dental surgery.
Impacted wisdom teeth, Sinuses.
Dislocation of the jaw.
Orthodontic assessment.
Cavities within the teet.
OPG (Orthopantomogram) and Cephalogram are types of dental x-rays. A lateral cephalogram produces a side profile image of the face, jaws, and soft tissues to assess the relation of the teeth to the jaws, the jaws to the skull, and the relation of the soft tissues to the teeth and jaws.
Often, and probably the most common, use of an OPG is for the detection of a non-painful yet destructive infection at the base of a tooth root which causes the death of a tooth or the presence of an often silent, non-painful and progressing jawbone infection called periodontal disease.