“Why does my dentist takes photo of my teeth?”

I’m sure some of you have been wondering about it. So here’s why dentist takes photo of your teeth and even portraits sometimes.

1. Photography act as a vital communicating tool between dentist and the patient so that a clearer message or explanation can be delivered.
2. Imperfections that are not readily visible to the patient will be apparent in still photographs, patient get to visualise his/her oral condition.
3. Establish a baseline so that dentist able to monitor any recession or suspicious lesions that you may have in your mouth to discover if these conditions are getting better or worse.
4. Document cases by dentist for recording purpose.

DSLR Camera

Multiple system can be choose for dental photography and generally work well for practices. However, the digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera still the most ideally suited for practices that to use photography for documentation for lectures or publications.

Basic kit for dental photography:

1. DSLR camera system
2. Macro lens (85–105 mm)
3. External ring flash / Dual Flash
4. Retractors
5. Mirror
6. Contrastor

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Intra-Oral Photos

Multiple views of intra-oral photos will be taken. The basic views are:

1. Front view without retractor
2. Front view with retractor
3. Left buccal view
4. Right buccal view
5. Upper occlusal view
6. Lower occlusal view

Dentist might take some extra photos which specifically focus on a tooth/ area to focus on the problematic part.

Studio Photography

Sometimes additional extra-oral photos are needed. In our clinic, there’s a room set up with some additional tools for portraits such as NiceFoto TB-400C Flash with a diffuser/ softbox, and a white lighting board mounted on a wall.

Extra Oral Photos

For extra-oral, pictures of patient must include full face. The basic views are:

1. Front profile view
2. Front smiling view
3. Left & Right profile view
4. Left & Right 45° profile view

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