Gorgeous intra-oral dental photography can be a challenge for numerous reasons. Number one involves the conditions of the oral environment: It can get pretty dang foggy!
Capturing Awesome Intra-Oral Dental Photography
Capturing retracted occlusal shots means you have to utilize your mirrors. You need this type of image for so many different purposes. Think more accurately observing occlusal surfaces, treatment planning for a restoration, or assessing arch form.
For the best case documentation possible, you really need to invest in the best materials as well. Retracted dental photography is more easily achieved with chromium or titanium occlusal mirrors. As far as sizing goes, you’re going to want the 2 7/8″ x 5 1/2″ (purchase easily at Photomed). This is because you need appropriate dimensions to capture the majority of full arches you will encounter.
When you don’t use the correct mirror size, you’ll find that you encounter a major problem: not being able to see the distal of the second molars. You might even notice non-reflected teeth showing up in the picture.
Don’t ruin an otherwise great shot with these easy-to-remedy mistakes.
Fogging occurs all of the time, but is so easy to prevent with heat. Go ahead and warm up the mirrors under running water before you place them in the mouth for the picture. This will enable a crystal clear image.
For esthetics and balance, make sure to visualize the image before snapping with the camera. Rely on your eyes by placing the retractors in the patient’s mouth and preparing the mirror placement while imagining how the set up will look on camera.
You are training yourself to see like a true photographer.
Need some inspiration or advice on a big case coming up? Check out this post on stellar time management. And let us know what you think about our dental photography tips! We’d love to hear from you …