Thursday, October 24, 2013

How to mount full mouth X-rays in dental office

If I am working in a new dental office and asked to take a Full Mouth series of X-rays, my first question will be, how many films are your FMX series.
The number of X-rays in a FMX series depends on the dentists' preference. So, it can be 14 or 16 ....
Some offices really want the mandibular canines exposed 
In some offices, FMX is 16 while others it is just 10. I am not sure about why it is like that and how they charge for it. All I know is, in the chart, they will write a code for that. 

Anyways, we just get the required X-rays the dentist ask for. When I was a beginner Dental assistant, it was a big hard task to mount the FMX. It is not that difficult now. 

 There is a dot on the film, right? We are going to mount the films labially and these dots are going to face us.

I usually separate the bitewing X-rays first. Then mount them. If you have a FMX mount, then it is easy. 
Many offices have only the Universal X-ray mounts
I usually mount the patients right side molar first and mount all the maxillary radiographs on the top pockets. The mandibular X-rays on the lower pockets. 
Now, if you forget how to know the left and right, remember the curve of spree and  patients right is your left.  

One dentist insisted on a special method of film placement and mounting technique. The dots, or the pimples should be towards the midline when we place them in the mouth. Then when you mount them, it is just a breeze. Only problem is some of the dots are on the gingival side instead of being on the incisal edge. But, hey, it is the choice of the boss.


I like this video http://youtu.be/73M_Emtd6FM. But, it cannot be embedded.I found this one with 20 films.

If you are preparing for Dental Assisting radiology exam or for NDAEB certification, this page on bisecting technique will be helpful for studying. 

Other helpful pages for exam prep are

3. http://www.cram.com/cards/radiology-practice-test-questions-1306440. I haven't explored it fully. guess, you can create flashcards there.










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