Chairside - Glidewell Dental Labs

Photo Documentation
Dental photography has two parts: intraoral and extraoral
photography. Here are some basic tools you will need:
1. A camera that allows you to take both full-face and profile
pictures, as well as intraoral close-up shots.
2. Two sets of intraoral photographic mirrors and two sets
of retractors. There should be one occlusal mirror and
one lateral mirror in each set.
I have adopted a simple series of standard dental photographs
to document my cases. I take one set of preoperative
pictures, and I take another postoperative set to document
the final results. Simple before-and-after pictures of your
work can help patients visualize and accept the work they
need done (Figs. 1, 2). If I think I might make a presentation
of the case, I take additional photos of the procedural steps.
1
Figure 1: Documenting treatments with high-quality “before” images
is important.
Standard Photos
The required views for clinical case submission to the
American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry are 12 preoperative
views and 12 postoperative views. My standard set of
photographs consists of the following:
1. Three extraoral photos: Two frontal views of the face
(one in repose and one smiling) and one profile shot
2. Five intraoral photos: Five retracted views, including
an anterior view, a right view and a left view, and two
mirror occlusal shots (one of the mandible and one of
the maxilla)
3. For cosmetic cases, an anterior retracted view with the
teeth apart is very helpful. This makes for six intraoral
photos instead of five.
2
Figure 2: This “after” photograph shows just how well the case was
completed.
Camera Choices
Now let’s talk about cameras. Undoubtedly, the best camera
system is an SLR digital camera like a Canon T3i or a Nikon
D90, with a dedicated 100 mm macro lens and a ring flash.
In this basic tutorial, however, we use a point-and-shoot
camera. It’s simpler to use because there are no settings to
change and focusing is automatic. This simple system was
chosen because of the different levels of expertise exhibited
by the dentists attending our courses, as well as the need
for a camera that could take the use and abuse.
We chose the Pentax Optio W90 for its simple-to-use
instructions, as well as for its shockproof and waterproof
characteristics. This 12-megapixel camera allows you to
take great face shots and intraoral views without changing
settings on the camera.
3
Figure 3: With the chair completely horizontal, you can take the
maxillary and mandibular occlusal mirror views.
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