Hello, my dentist wants me to take a panoramic xray of my jaw, reagrding my wisdom teeth, are there any alternatives such as mri? thanks in advance.

Panoramic: Is inexpensive, safe and shows what the dentist needs to see. No other alternatives are needed.

Yes, there are: There are alternatives to a panoramic radiograph such as Cone Beam Volumetric Tomography or CBCT. For wisdom teeth evaluation, the pano is usually the most effective and efficient in terms of costs and also minimizing radiation dose. CBCT has higher radiation and cost. MRI is not particularly useful because of it's higher cost and poor visualization of structures within bone.

A panoramic: xray is usually the best type of xray to screen for the wisdom teeth. There is really no need for an MRI.

Panoramic is OK: Oral surgeons don’t like surprises when they are operating. A CBCT may guide surgical access to a tooth without damaging other vital structures, especially avoiding the IAN canal in the lower mandible to minimize numbness. Also allows your surgeons to visualize internal anatomy that can not be diagnosed with 2D Panoramic.

Safety: I'm assuming your concern is radiation exposure. This diagnostic film provides a great deal of information to your Dentist at extremely low dose radiation and at a modest fee. You would get more radiation spending a day in the mountains or two days on the beech. MRI much more expensive. CT scan much more expensive and higher radiation level. Have the panorex done.