What do bitewing radiographs show?

• A. Temporomandibular joints
• B. Full jaw alignment
• C. Entire tooth including roots
• D. Crowns of maxillary & mandibular teeth + alveolar crest

Answer: (D)

Bitewing radiographs are designed to image the crowns of the posterior teeth and the height of the surrounding alveolar bone between them. This view is perfect for detecting interproximal caries and assessing bone level, which is why the technique focuses on the crowns and the alveolar crest visible between adjacent teeth. The method places the film or sensor between the bite surfaces and angles the beam to capture just the crown area and the crest of bone, often with a small portion of the root tips. Because of this focus, bitewings do not show the entire tooth roots in detail, and they do not reveal the temporomandibular joints or the overall jaw alignment. For roots you’d use periapical radiographs, and for joints or full jaw alignment you’d use TMJ-specific, panoramic, or cephalometric imaging. So the best description is that bitewing radiographs show the crowns of maxillary and mandibular teeth plus the alveolar crest.