GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I've seen the Pentax/Ricoh sold for this purpose in the past by PhotoMed, I think.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Yeah....pretty much what I suspected as well. Thanks for getting back to me with these results.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

I think ring lights were created for medical photography usage. I'm surprised your dentist has not seen or read of lens and flash usage in his profession.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I am too. At the dental school at the university where I worked, there was a section on intraoral photography, which I taught.

Al Freeedman

At one time Novoflex mad a dental kit. May still be available from B&H or others

Captain AL

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Um... just how "aesthetically pleasing" can the inside of someone's mouth be?

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Good one!
Yes, true, but in cosmetic cases, you don’t want the proportions to be distorted. Just like in portraits.

As an aside, I know of several dentists who are very good photographers. One orthodontist I met has a good side business doing senior portraits, not that he needs the money.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Just wondering, I've had an abundance of dental work, including caps and bridges in the front due to teeth being knocked out in football and having to have the replacedments replaced as well as another tooth on the side capped. Never had pictures taken. Just x-rays. Why the need for pictures?

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Dentists use them as part of a patient record.
Before/After treatment.
Legal purposes.
.
.
.
....an excuse to cram as many things in your mouth as they can.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

My x-rays serve as my patient record. They even include the status of my gums as measured by my dental hygienist. Photographs cannot reveal what is really going on with teeth like x-rays can.

Bill P

I have had as much dental work as any of you, a genetic gift from my mother, and in all the things that were done, all but three procedures I was awake, no dentist ever took a photo. You guys are making me sad.

Actually when I saw what this post was about, I was anxious to see what was up. I have frequently said that many of the discussions on this list make my fillings hurt.

I still await an answer.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

As I said, PART of the dental record.
X-rays don't show soft tissue discolorations, tooth color or translucency (yes, there are shade guides but it's more than just color in a good restoration)

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Not all dentists do photography in their practice. I did some extensive work, some years ago for a dental practice that specialized in implantation when that procedure and methodology was just perfected and was somewhat controversial- nowadays it is commonplace. They were interested in intraoral work and just nice smiles showing off the work and also teaching other dentists their methods. I did this when they initiated theses procedures so that the had a starting portfolio and a body of instructional slides. At the end of the job, I set them up with a system that they coud routinely utilize.

I find that most dentists do no want to becom clinical photograhers and in their own words, require an "idiot system" that they can utilize when required with a minimum of technical savvy or muss and fuss. This is why I recommend the Dyne company. The have everything from a simple point-and shoot system to a more sophisticated DSLR system. Beside the ring lights they provide special instruments, retractors, that hold the patients lips out of the field of view when photographing the frontal teeth.

Obviously, all these images are not intended to be aesthetically pleasing in that the are instructional images of various procedures and stages of dental surgery. If theses picture are taken during the course of a procedure, the camera must be operated by an assistant or specialist clinical photograher.

Extraoral images, nice smiles, are used to show perspective patients the successful results of restorative and orthodontic dentistry.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

What you are asking about is dental photography. My Father Joseph Paul Summa DDS ACS was a pioneer in this area of dentistry. While at the University of Texas he introduced two comprehensive courses in dental photography. The first was mandatory for all dental students.

Inter oral photography is but one part of the dental photography course. I know all about this subject because I worked with Joe to develop the course(s). Calling it intraoral photography does not grasp the need nor purpose of the project.

Step one in dental photography is to create a record of the patent's treatment history. This dictates and drives the needs and the equipment require. Here is one of the single most critical issues facing some if not all patent photography.

You the dentist are being sued for malpractice. Your attorney needs to present to a jury of laymen what is going on. Intraoral images are fine as details, so are x-rays, be they panoramic or bit wings, but lets face it, it mostly goes right over peoples heads or worse, people turn away in disgust at the horrendous images. Here is what the smart dental surgeon does. First image is a portrait of the patent pre treatment. Next retractors are used and again a portrait is made.

Now imagine the effect on the jury when they are shown this sort of image. Followed then by an image of the patent post treatment both as a simple portrait and a retracted frontal image of a now healed mouth.

This is the first and most powerful defense that the dental surgeon can present. Sort of a slam dunk. Using the camera in a clinical manner to document the patents treatment, it goes with out saying that knowing how to do this is important.

Note: The term knowing 'how' is to understand that you are NOT making a fine art portrait or family snap shot, you are doing clinical photography. A technical color separation guide to confirm 'correct' color rendering, a scale , a placard showing the doctors name (attending physician) along with BOTH patent's full name and number and of course the date. This is part of conveying the proper clinical presentation.

Joe used Minolta cameras with a moderate focal length zoom lens. The illumination was two small flash units one top and one to one side of the patent. Retractors and highly polished flat mirrors of different sizes were used as well. Ring lights and macro lenses where defiantly options, but the work horse camera and zoom lens where simple and direct. Minolta users for intraoral had an independent supplier of a screw on filter front that was aluminum that held the two flash units. This was all given in the Dental Photography Course that was given to all dental students at The University of Texas Dental School in Houston.

Joe went on to introduce these photography classes as he moved to several Dental Schools and Collages where he took the position of Chief of Clinics. He told me that his first semester classes had to broken into students and collogue classes so the professors could get up to speed on the latest information and so the professors could give proper instruction in camera handling and use.

I am certain that if you were to seek out any local dental school you would find text book/lectures and information on the proper procedures to get you the information that you and your friend(s) need on the subject.

Rodwil

Thanks