An OPG (Orthopantomogram) is a panoramic X-ray that captures your entire upper and lower jaw in a single image. Unlike in-chair dental X-rays that show only individual teeth, an OPG gives your dentist a complete overview of all your teeth, the jawbone, sinuses, and surrounding structures in one view.

Your dentist may have referred you for an OPG to: assess a wisdom tooth, check for bone loss from gum disease, look for cysts or abnormalities, check the development of teeth in children, plan for implants or extractions, or simply as part of a comprehensive dental examination. It is a routine and very commonly requested study.

Yes, OPG examinations are bulk billed for eligible Medicare card holders with a valid referral. This means there is no out-of-pocket cost for the imaging at Matrix Medical Imaging.

Please note that Medicare eligibility criteria apply. If you are unsure, bring your referral and Medicare card and our reception staff will confirm your entitlement when you arrive. Concession card holders may be eligible for additional benefits.

A referral is required for bulk-billed OPG and Lateral Cephalogram examinations. This can be from your dentist, orthodontist, oral surgeon, GP, or any registered medical or dental practitioner.

An OPG is completely painless. The machine does not touch your face during the scan. The only contact is a small plastic bite peg that you lightly bite down on to position your jaw correctly and this is flat, smooth, and hygienically covered for each patient.

Nothing is placed inside the mouth beyond this bite peg. Patients who experience dental anxiety or gag reflexes often find OPGs much easier to tolerate than traditional in-chair dental X-rays. Let our radiographer know if you have any concerns and they will talk you through each step.

In-chair dental X-rays (bitewings and periapicals) are small films or sensors placed inside your mouth that show 2-4 individual teeth in close up detail. They are excellent for detecting cavities between specific teeth and assessing the root of a single tooth, but they cannot show the whole mouth at once.

An OPG is taken from outside the mouth entirely. The machine captures the entire upper and lower jaw, all teeth, the jawbone, sinuses, and TMJ joints in a single wide field panoramic image. It provides overview information that in-chair X-rays cannot, and is often the starting point before more targeted in-chair views are taken if needed.

A Lateral Cephalogram (Lat Ceph) is a full-profile side-on X-ray of the skull. It shows the entire facial skeleton in profile, including the position of the upper jaw relative to the lower jaw, tooth angulation, and soft tissue profile.

It is most commonly requested by orthodontists to plan braces or aligner treatment. The Lat Ceph tells the orthodontist whether a patient's alignment problem is primarily dental (tooth position) or skeletal (jaw position), which determines the treatment approach. It is done on the same machine as the OPG and takes only a few additional seconds, which is why they are often requested together.

The radiation dose from an OPG is extremely low among the lowest of any X-ray examination. However, as a precaution, we always ask patients about the possibility of pregnancy before performing any X-ray examination.

If you are pregnant, please inform our staff when you arrive. In many cases, dental X-rays can be safely deferred until after delivery or the first trimester. If the examination is clinically urgent, it can be performed with appropriate shielding and after discussion with your referring clinician. We will never put you in a position of making that decision alone.

No preparation is required. You do not need to fast, change your diet, or make any special arrangements before your OPG or Lateral Cephalogram.

When you arrive, you'll be asked to remove metal items that could appear on the image including earrings, necklaces, glasses, hearing aids, and removable dental appliances (dentures, retainers, aligners). These can be safely stored at reception while your scan is taken. Everything else eating, drinking, taking medications can continue as normal.