When taking a radiograph, the patient has their chin too high. What will the resulting image look like?

Correct answer: D. Reversed (frown) image with downward curve

• A. Foreshortening results from excessive vertical angulation.
• B. Overlapping contacts result from incorrect horizontal angulation.
• C. Elongation results from insufficient vertical angulation or the patient's head being tilted back, not chin too high.
• D. Correct. When a patient's chin is raised too high during a panoramic X-ray, the occlusal plane appears curved downward (frown/sad face curve) rather than the normal smile curve upward. This is a classic panoramic error.