In the panoramic radiograph, there is a radiopacity between the apices of teeth 29 and 30. You suspect this to be a(n):

• A. Caries
• B. Cyst
• C. Supernumerary tooth
• D. Calcified ligament

Answer: (C)

A discrete, tooth-like radiopacity located between the roots of adjacent teeth is most consistent with a supernumerary tooth. Extra teeth arise from an additional tooth germ during development and can appear anywhere, often as a small tooth-like structure between existing teeth on panoramic images. This morphology—a defined crown- and root-form structure between tooth apices—fits a supernumerary tooth well.

Caries would present as a radiolucent area within a tooth, not a separate radiopacity between roots. Cysts are typically radiolucent lesions in the jaw, not tooth-shaped. Calcified ligaments (ossified periodontal ligament) appear as irregular radiopacities along the periodontal ligament space around roots, not as a distinct tooth-like structure between the roots.