Inability to properly align the image receptor with the position-indicating device (PID/cone) during periapical radiography will most likely cause which error?

Correct answer: D. Cone cut

• A. INCORRECT — Open contacts on radiographs result from incorrect horizontal angulation (cone angled mesially or distally instead of through the contact), not from PID-receptor alignment failure.
• B. INCORRECT — Teeth not on the bite block is a patient positioning error, not related to PID-receptor alignment.
• C. INCORRECT — Elongation results from insufficient vertical angulation (cone angled too perpendicular to the occlusal plane) or tooth-film angulation issues, not PID-receptor alignment.
• D. CORRECT — A 'cone cut' occurs when the PID (position-indicating device/cone) is not properly centered over the image receptor, resulting in part of the receptor being outside the beam. This causes a clear unexposed (white) area on the developed radiograph — the 'cone cut.'