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OPG and Cephalograms

Both techniques are special x-rays which look at the teeth and jaw.

An OPG (orthopantogram) provides a wide angle view of the mouth, giving information on the teeth and the bones of the upper and lower jaw.
A Cephalometry is used to obtain measurements of the structures of the lower face.
An OPG aims to view the jaw line, while blurring out the other structures of the face and skull. This is called “tomography”
As the x-ray tube moves around one’s head, the x-ray film moves in the opposite direction behind the head. This generates an image where the jaw is in focus, and the skull is blurred.
Cephalograms are taken in one or two planes: anterior, where the face is viewed straight on, and lateral, where the face is viewed from the side. The procedure may take up to 30 minutes.