As a dentist, documenting cases has become an important part of our practice. Not only does it help in creating a mark online on social media but also tracking patient progress, a valuable tool for educating patients and enhancing our own skills. Although a mirrorless camera is the best option for capturing high-quality dental images, your iPhone can be a great starting point as well, especially for students or those just beginning their practice. Today we will discuss iPhone Dental Photography in a bit detail and help you to take the most out of it.
Why Recording Dental Cases is important even if you have to do it with a mobile?
You must record your every case for some of the reasons mentioned below. Although there are a lot of them but we have enlisted the major ones.
Patient Education
Clear images help in explaining procedures and treatment plans to patients.
Professional Development
Reviewing your work allows for self-assessment and improvement. You can miss so many things with your naked eyes, but once to have a photo in hand, a lot of your faults will become obvious to you especially when doing tooth prep for a crown or bridge.
Documentation: Photos serve as a patient record in follow-ups as well as for legal and insurance purposes.
Digital Marketing
They can be powerful marketing tools on social media nowadays.
Communicating with lab
Sending photos to the lab for shade and shape matching of crowns.
Getting Started with iPhone Dental Photography
Although mobile phones like iPhones might not match the quality of professional cameras, still, with the right tools and techniques, they can still produce acceptable photos.
Some of the equipment you will need in order to get better photos include.
Lighting
Ring lights or LED panels can provide the illumination to highlight intra-oral details.
Diffusers
Diffusers help to soften the light, reducing glare. This will prevent the complete whitewashing of teeth under bright lights. Sometimes diffuser comes along with lights.
Stabilizer/Hand-Held Tripod: for reducing shake and ensuring clear, sharp images.
Macro Lens
You should try external macro lens as well and see if it works for you.
Photo Editing
It can significantly enhance your photos and cover up the defects produced by using a mobile phone instead of a camera. Adjusting brightness, contrast, and color balance will greatly improve the overall result. It’s better to capture several photos from different angles to have a variety of options to choose from while editing.
Conclusion
Take the most out of iPhone Dental Photography till you can afford to buy a nice camera for doing Dental Photography.