Читать книгу Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics - James C. Kessler - Страница 25

Radiographs, the final aspect of the diagnostic procedure, provide the dentist with information to help correlate all of the facts that have been collected in listening to the patient, examining the mouth, and evaluating the diagnostic casts. The radiographs should be examined carefully for signs of caries, both on unrestored proximal surfaces and recurring around previous restorations. The presence of periapical lesions, as well as the existence and quality of previous endodontic treatments, should be noted.

General alveolar bone levels, with particular emphasis on prospective abutment teeth, should be observed. The crown-root ratio of abutment teeth can be calculated. The length, configuration, and direction of those roots should also be examined. Any widening of the periodontal membrane should be correlated with occlusal prematurities or occlusal trauma. An evaluation can be made of the thickness of the cortical plate of bone around the teeth and of the trabeculation of the bone.

The presence of retained root tips or other pathologies in the edentulous areas should be recorded. On many radiographs, it is possible to trace the outline of the soft tissue in edentulous areas so that the thickness of the soft tissue overlying the ridge can be determined.