Dental Photography
A Dental Tool and Technology You Should Not Miss

Photography has been a very useful tool in the modern life. It has proven to be very beneficial in various fields, say for example, medicine, particularly dentistry.

Dental photography has been gaining ground lately. The beneficial breakthroughs that this add-on has been providing the dental field are outstanding and impressive.

However, not all dentists and dental professionals use it as not everyone sees the importance of the role of photography in this field yet.

Aside from the fact that dental photography offers much assistance in the esthetic perfection of dentistry because of its visual aspects, photography also contributes a lot in diagnosis, treatment planning and execution, and the overall case completion.

Your Pressing Questions Answered

• Is dentistry photography similar to regular photography?
• What makes dentistry photography more challenging?
• Where to learn more about dentistry photography

1. Is dentistry photography similar to regular photography?

Photography is applicable in various aspects of our lives. It can simply be a hobby, an artistic business venture, or an invention that visually aid people.

Well, now, there is this branch called Dental Photography, and its aim is to meet the needs of the dental field in its visual aspect. Although not all, a lot of dentists now use dental photography not just to go with the flow of the fast-paced technological advancements, but also to keep improving the service that they are providing their patients.

Dental photography is more complicated than just handling a point-and-shoot camera. Since the purpose of the photographs is medically-related, standards are set to ensure precision and clarity. The photographs are primarily used for documentation and visual representation that can assist in diagnosis and planning. There are standards to be followed for the right framing, proper inclination of the camera, right illumination, correct magnification ratio, and other important technical specifications.

One other thing that differentiates dental photography is the fact that it usually uses the macrophotography technique. Macrophotography is the close-up photography of tiny or miniscule objects

. Even though objects are magnified in the photos, it is essential to keep the actual sizes and perspectives of the objects well-established. Taking close-up photos can be tricky at times, and it is of utmost importance to maintain the clarity, texture, color, and outline of the object or photograph even when viewed at the largest magnification rate.

This is especially necessary for the use of dental lab technicians because the photographs will serve as visual aids and representation that will be their reference when preparing tools, dental prosthetics, and other such needed equipments for the required dental treatment.

2. What makes dentistry photography more challenging?

Since dental photography is used to document dental details such as teeth, gums, mouth, and the mucous membranes, there are some challenges faced in this branch of photography that are not usually present in other types of photography.

Try looking at the mirror, you will realize that it is not really easy to view all of your teeth in detail. Imagine how hard it would be to photograph the inside of one's mouth. Accessing them with the camera is hard, but it is much harder to make sure that images are properly captured and are clear and bright.

Dark areas inside the mouth and also the reflective areas make it difficult to capture a vivid and accurate picture. This is why you have to invest in special lens and flash equipment. Because of its complexities, dental photography is usually thought of as a skill or specialty, as well.

3. Where to Learn More About Dentistry Photography

There are professionals who hold seminars or lectures that teach dentists and other dental professionals how to incorporate dental photography in their practice.

Although these seminars and short courses will usually cost you money for the participation fee, it is a worthy investment. Dental photography, undoubtedly, will empower you as a dental professional. It will not only aid you visually, it will also be impressive towards your patients. It will also help improve the services that you provide because visual representation is really helpful. To learn better, look for special courses or classes that allow you to learn hands-on.

Photography Equipments for Dental Practice

When talking about investing in photography, the thing that usually comes to mind includes the photography equipments.

These usually scare off people because they are thought to be expensive and considered as costly investments.

However, in dental photography, a plain old camera would usually do. One just needs to invest on special macro lens and flash if he/she already has an existing camera body (which is preferably digital in nature).

To produce good, usable results, the camera should at least have a 6 megapixel resolution, of course, the higher the resolution, the better. A live view monitor is particularly useful to help guide you in shooting the object with precision.

The lens commonly found or the ones built-in with the camera are usually unlike the specific lens needed for macrophotography. Before purchasing just any lens, make sure to double-check that they are special macro lens. A 60mm macro lens is recommended.

Cameras come with built-in flash system, but they may not be enough for dental photography purposes, especially when it comes to the more complicated intraoral photography—or photography within a cavity. Special flash systems, usually a macro flash or a ring flash should be used for a more precise lighting.

Back from Photography to Tooth Pain

Back from Dental Photography to Individual Dental Insurance

Privacy Policy

Copyright dentalinsurancecare.com. Protected by Copyscape - do not copy.