Dental xrays - reading them?

[BuchanClan]

Im curious. I have two of my boys xrays here. I have 5 boys and all have dental issues. Im trying to understand though what the issues are though for myself to help me to make an informed decision when their orthodontist makes suggestions! Im lost at the moment!

I have xrays in front of me and they have lots of angles and degrees measurements and some mm measurements (which are also written up in the back page.

What means what? I know they both have thier front top teeth that buck out badly, but one I think appears to have a receeding chin and the other appears to have a Prognathic chin?!

Help please!

[Protoman2050]

Im curious. I have two of my boys xrays here. I have 5 boys and all have dental issues. Im trying to understand though what the issues are though for myself to help me to make an informed decision when their orthodontist makes suggestions! Im lost at the moment!

I have xrays in front of me and they have lots of angles and degrees measurements and some mm measurements (which are also written up in the back page.

What means what? I know they both have thier front top teeth that buck out badly, but one I think appears to have a receeding chin and the other appears to have a Prognathic chin?!

Help please!

Don't try...it's too easy to make a mistake unless you've read hundreds or thousands. I have no idea why when a MD orders imaging studies, they have a radiologist read the films and make the decision based on the radiology report, but dental X-rays aren't given to a radiologist to read.

And complicating it is that these aren't regular skull X-rays looking for an injury or something, these are cephalograms, which are to tell the ortho exactly how the maxillofacial structures relate to each other. Only orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and the rarely seen oral and maxillofacial radiologists, are trained to read these.