A method for dental tomographic X-ray imaging, the method comprising the steps of: - acquiring a panoramic image using a trajectory controlled by a template dental arch such that an X-ray imaging system (3, 4) focuses exactly on the dental arch of a patient, said template dental arch being known a priori and defining a mean shape of the jaw in the XY-plane; - using the template dental arch for establishing a spatial relation between the image points on the panoramic image and the three-dimensional space; - positioning a patient in an X-ray apparatus by a head support that has been used for the acquisition of said panoramic image and that keeps the patient in the same position as for the acquisition of the panoramic image; - selecting a region of interest for a local tomographic imaging process based on the panoramic image of the dental arch (12, 19) of the patient at any point of the dental arch; - calculating the parameters for a trajectory applicable for the local tomographic imaging process by the control unit based on the selection of the region of interest; - performing an imaging process by the X-ray apparatus under the control of a control unit by moving an imaging system (3, 4) along the trajectory, said imaging system comprising an X-ray source and a detector coupled by a support to a drive unit, wherein - the selection of the region of interest includes a selection of the position and orientation of the region of interest in the three-dimensional space, and the region of interest comprises a focal plane, which corresponds to a common intersection plane of the projections of said tomographic imaging process, and - during the acquisition of projection images for the tomographic imaging process the imaging system (3, 4) is moved along the trajectory that involves translations and rotations of the imaging system (3, 4), and wherein - the drive unit is arranged such that a rotational axis of the imaging system (3, 4) performs an extended movement along a transversal plane, that is transverse to a vertical axis, and wherein the rotational axis is shifted with respect to a neutral position of the rotational axis. - acquiring a panoramic image using a trajectory controlled by a template dental arch such that an X-ray imaging system (3, 4) focuses exactly on the dental arch of a patient, said template dental arch being known a priori and defining a mean shape of the jaw in the XY-plane; - using the template dental arch for establishing a spatial relation between the image points on the panoramic image and the three-dimensional space; - positioning a patient in an X-ray apparatus by a head support that has been used for the acquisition of said panoramic image and that keeps the patient in the same position as for the acquisition of the panoramic image; - selecting a region of interest for a local tomographic imaging process based on the panoramic image of the dental arch (12, 19) of the patient at any point of the dental arch; - calculating the parameters for a trajectory applicable for the local tomographic imaging process by the control unit based on the selection of the region of interest; - performing an imaging process by the X-ray apparatus under the control of a control unit by moving an imaging system (3, 4) along the trajectory, said imaging system comprising an X-ray source and a detector coupled by a support to a drive unit, wherein - the selection of the region of interest includes a selection of the position and orientation of the region of interest in the three-dimensional space, and the region of interest comprises a focal plane, which corresponds to a common intersection plane of the projections of said tomographic imaging process, and - during the acquisition of projection images for the tomographic imaging process the imaging system (3, 4) is moved along the trajectory that involves translations and rotations of the imaging system (3, 4), and wherein - the drive unit is arranged such that a rotational axis of the imaging system (3, 4) performs an extended movement along a transversal plane, that is transverse to a vertical axis, and wherein the rotational axis is shifted with respect to a neutral position of the rotational axis.