1. A method of generating a panoramic x-ray image, the method comprising: obtaining, with an x-ray detector, volumetric x-ray image data having a first plurality of slices; defining a vertical threshold based on an anatomical feature of a patient's head; seperating, with a computer, the x-ray image data into a first portion above the vertical threshold and a second portion below the vertical threshold; separating, with the computer, the second portion into a second plurality of slices; generating, with the computer, a plurality of curves for each slice in the second plurality of slices; generating, with the computer, a master arch for the second plurality of slices; and generating, with the computer, a panoramic image based on the master arch.