Panoramic dental X-ray
OPG X-rays in Crewe
An OPG is one wide X-ray. It shows all your teeth, your upper and lower jaw, and the joint in front of each ear, in a single picture. Its full name is an orthopantomogram, which is usually shortened to OPG.
£60 for the X-ray if you are already a patient here, £99.99 if you are not. If your own dentist or orthodontist has told you to get an OPG, give us a ring. We will tell you how to arrange it.
What it shows
What your dentist is looking at
The small X-rays taken in the chair cover two or three teeth at a time. A panoramic X-ray like this one shows all of them at once. It is usually the first X-ray your dentist asks for.
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Teeth that have not come through
An OPG shows wisdom teeth still under the gum. In children it shows the adult teeth waiting behind the baby ones. Neither of those shows up when your dentist looks in your mouth.
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The bone around the roots
An OPG shows how much bone is holding each tooth in place, and whether gum disease has worn any of it away.
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The jaw joints
Both jaw joints appear at the edges of the picture, which helps if yours hurt or click when you open your mouth.
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Anything unexpected
Sometimes an OPG shows a cyst, or a piece of root left behind from an old extraction, that has never caused you any pain. If anything does turn up, your dentist will tell you what it is and whether it needs doing anything about.
It will not answer everything. Planning implants needs detail an OPG cannot give, and some things need a close-up film instead. What it does is tell your dentist where to look more closely. What most people want to know next is what it is like to have one taken.
Having one taken
You stay outside the machine
Nothing goes in your mouth and you are not enclosed. If you have been picturing a tunnel or a hospital scanner, this is not that.
You stand at the machine and bite gently onto a small plastic guide. It is only there to hold your front teeth in the right spot. The arm then travels around your head while you keep still. You will hear it moving and you may feel it pass close to your shoulders, but it will not touch you.
Holding still is the whole job. The picture is built up as the arm moves, so if you shift partway through it blurs and has to be taken again.
It is taken here on Hungerford Road, on our own machine. You are not sent off to a hospital or an imaging centre and back again. The picture appears on the screen straight away and your dentist will talk you through what you are looking at.
Before you come
- Nothing to prepare, eat and drink as normal
- Take off earrings, necklaces, glasses and any hair clips at the machine
- Take out any removable denture or retainer
- Bring the referral letter if another dentist sent you
- Tell us if there is any chance you are pregnant, so we can decide with you whether to take it now or wait
Common questions
Questions people ask before they come
Most of these come from people sent here by their own dentist.
Is an OPG X-ray safe?
It uses a low dose of radiation. More than the small X-ray of a single tooth taken in the chair, and less than a 3D CBCT scan. Your dentist will only take one if there is a reason to, which is a legal requirement rather than a matter of preference. You will not be given one just to be thorough.
Can I book one myself?
Yes, provided a dentist has asked for one. We take OPG X-rays in Crewe for people sent by other practices, so ring us and we will book you in.
What does an OPG scan cost?
An OPG costs £60 if you are already a patient here, and £99.99 if you are not. That is the X-ray on its own. If you want a check-up at the same visit, the appointment is charged separately.
How long does it take?
The X-ray itself is over in well under a minute. Getting your head in the right position takes longer than the picture does. Allow a few minutes in the room rather than a few seconds.
Do I need to prepare?
No. Eat normally, come as you are, and wear jewellery you can take off easily, or leave it at home.
Why does my dentist want one before starting treatment?
Because a lot of the mouth is hidden. Roots, bone and teeth that have yet to appear all sit out of sight. An OPG lets your dentist plan dentures, braces or extractions from what is actually there.
Does an OPG find everything?
No. Flattening a curved jaw into one picture makes teeth overlap, so early decay between them can be missed. That is why your dentist may still want a small X-ray of one tooth. It is a wide view, not a complete one.
The other scan
OPG or CBCT
We take both here and they answer different questions. Most people only ever need the first one.
OPG X-ray
The wide view
- One flat picture of both jaws end to end
- Shows where teeth and roots sit, and whether a tooth is there at all
- A smaller X-ray dose than a 3D scan
- £60, or £99.99 for someone new to the practice
CBCT scan
The detailed view
- A three dimensional model your dentist can rotate and slice
- Shows depth, thickness and exact position
- What implant planning needs, because bone has to be measured
- £200, or included in the £200 implant consultation
The smaller X-ray is used when it answers the question. A CBCT is not an upgrade we offer you. It is a different tool for a different job, and your dentist will say which one your case needs.
Book an OPG X-ray
Ring us with the referral letter in front of you, or without one if your dentist has just asked for an OPG. We are at 186 Hungerford Road in Crewe, open Monday to Friday, and we will tell you what you will pay before you come.
