TEACH Lesson Plan
Module 8 Paralleling Technique
CLINICAL LABORATORY ACTIVITY 8-1 WORKSHEET
Questions for Group Discussion
1. In what situations would the paralleling technique be preferred over the bisecting technique?
The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology recommends the use of the
2. What was easy about using this intraoral radiographic technique? Why?
3. What was difficult about using this intraoral radiographic technique? Why?
4. Which anterior receptors are placed closer to the teeth, and which are placed farther away?
CLINICAL LABORATORY ACTIVITY 8-2 WORKSHEET
Questions for Group Discussion
1. Why is it recommended that the bite block be placed against the occlusal surfaces of the teeth
being radiographed before instructing the patient to bite?
Placing the bite block against the occlusal surfaces of the teeth before asking patient to bite will
2. Patients may close their lips together but not completely occlude on the bite block for comfort
reasons. Why is this not recommended? How would the operator know if this is happening?
The patient that closes their lips without biting their teeth together may be trying to avoid an
3. How would the operator accommodate the presence of maxillary torus or mandibular tori?
The presence of maxillary and mandibular tori can make radiographic exams difficult. For a
Module 3: Paralleling Technique 2
TEACH Lesson Plan
IANNUCCI AND HOWERTON: Dental Radiography: Principles and Techniques, 5th Edition
4. What instructions should be given about the patient’s tongue during mandibular posterior
exposures?
Working with the patient’s tongue during mandibular posterior exposures may be an issue. The
CLINICAL LABORATORY ACTIVITY 8-3 WORKSHEET
Questions for Group Discussion
1. Why is it recommended that the bite block be placed against the occlusal surfaces of the
mandibular teeth (instead of the maxillary teeth) before instructing the patient to bite?
As mentioned in an earlier worksheet, placing the bite block against the occlusal surfaces of the
2. When mounting a full-mouth series, why is it suggested to mount the bite-wing images first?
When mounting a complete intraoral series of radiographs, it is suggested to mount the bite-wing
3. Why does the error of horizontal overlap still occur on bite-wing images produced with the beam
alignment device?
Even though the beam alignment device allows for precise orientation of the receptor and central
4. What modifications would be made if the patient is missing one of the teeth discussed in receptor
placement, such as tooth #29?
If a patient is missing a tooth used in bite-wing placement, such as #29, place the front edge of