Patent ID: 7010089

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a charge-coupled device (CCD)-array sensor having an active surface for recording images; a charge-coupled device(CCD)-array sensor positioning mechanism structured to hold said CCD-array in a substantially horizontal orientation such that the active surface for recording images is disposed substantially horizontally in a patient's mouth and structured to hold said CCD-array sensor in a first position to capture a first target area; and said CCD-array sensor positioning mechanism further structured to hold the substantially horizontally disposed CCD-array sensor in a second position to capture a second target area proximate to the first target area, the first and second target areas spatially related such that a first radiographic image recorded at the first target area may be combined with a second radiographic image recorded at the second target area to form a composite radiographic image substantially analogous to a single radiographic image of an aggregate target area covered by the first and second target areas.