Year: 2011

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Case of the Week: Radicular cyst

This week I have an example of a very large radicular cyst (sometimes referred to as a periapical cyst) that was encroaching on the maxillary sinus.  The patient presented with no symptoms during a new patient exam.  A pantomograph was made.  On the pantomograph, a well-defined ovoid radiolucent entity is…
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Digital radiography: Contrast resolution

This weeks topic on digital radiography is contrast resolution.  Contrast resolution is the ability to distinguish gray levels on an image.  The term used to identify how many gray levels that can be identified is bits.  When any number is in front of bits, such as 8 bits or 14…
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Case of the Week: Sialolith

This week I have a neat example of a sialolith on a pantomograph.  This was an incidental finding at a new patient exam.  Sialoliths tend to be single, but this case has multiple calcifications within the duct of the submandibular salivary gland.  On the pantomograph there are multiple, irregular shaped…
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Digital radiography: Basics

This will be the first of a new series on digital radiography. I won’t be going into deep detail about the mechanisms of how the different digital radiography systems work but more covering things that a salesperson may tell you or that you’ll see in ads and how to discern…
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Case of the Week: Enamel pearl

This week I am showing a case of an enamel pearl along with the clinical photo of the tooth after it was extracted.  Enamel pearls are an extra ‘blob’ of enamel near the furcation area on molars.   They will present as circular radiopaque areas near the furcation.   They…