Digital photography in the practice
Digital photography is of enormous importance and is used comprehensively in modern dentistry. Its use in practice is simple, quick and very helpful in documenting procedures, educating patients and conducting clinical research, bringing benefits to both sides – doctors and patients. Both high-resolution digital cameras and the ordinary camera each of us has in our phone can be used.
What can photography be used for in dentistry?
- diagnosis and treatment planning;
- patient education and communication – detailed photos showing the anatomy, treatment stages, materials used and completed cases help in understanding and accepting the treatment plan;
- legal documentation;
- insurance verification;
- specialist consultation – the case history and photos make it possible to assess the patient's condition without the specialist being present in the practice;
- laboratory communication – instead of an ordinary shade guide, the doctor can make a temporary restoration in the chosen colour and pass its photo to the technician, who thanks to this makes the final restoration with a more accurate shade and saturation;
- "before and after" photos showing the results of the doctor's work;
- professional instruction – describing various dental and surgical procedures;
- gaining and passing on knowledge – presenting cases, e.g. at dental courses.
Mirror-reflection photos
What should a dentist equip themselves with to take good intraoral photos? To begin with, it is worth buying a mirror that will make it possible to reveal the chewing and palatal surface of the teeth, and a strong lamp that can be mounted on the phone's camera.
Smile design (DSD)
The Digital Smile Design (DSD) process consists of analysing photos and computer analysis in order to assess and plan the aesthetic conditions in the patient. DSD has a wide application, e.g. in designing aesthetic restorations, in restorative dentistry, up to orthodontic treatment plans. It is an objective tool enabling the doctor to collaborate with the dental technician and the patient. In terms of ease of execution, mobile dental photography (MDP) is sometimes more convenient than photography with a digital reflex camera, because practically everyone today has a smartphone with a good-resolution camera – it is lighter, and learning to take photos can be started faster. The proportion of dentists using smartphone cameras instead of professional reflex cameras is growing because of easy access and operation.
Working with light in dental photography
A very important aspect of photography is lighting. Any source of light with a continuous spectrum can be used for the photos. In dental photography the following are available, among others: natural daylight, an electronic flash, tungsten bulbs (household or photoflood), quartz fixtures, HMI, LED and UV lighting. The quality of the light source is affected by the colour temperature: a lower value means warm light (red-yellow), and a higher value – cool light (blue-white).
How to choose a light source? Natural daylight is useful in some clinical applications, such as matching the shade of ceramic restorations and in extraoral photography (e.g. face, lips). Its downside is unpredictability (it is warmer at sunrise and sunset, cooler at noon). Flashes come in two types: compact (mounted on the camera) and studio – both are widely used. The luminous flux of these lamps is set to "photographic daylight", which – unlike natural light – is ideal for photography, because only at this colour temperature do the three additive primary colours (red, green, blue) occur in equal proportions. The advantage of the electronic flash is a predictable, instant and easily adjustable luminous flux.
In our clinic, dental photography is used in daily practice – both when making aesthetic fillings, veneers, crowns and bridges and during orthodontic treatment, in order to take photos before, during and after treatment (to convey the results of treatment to the patient objectively).
Studies
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Capturing the art and science of dentistry in a lens: Digital dental photography
Singh A., Prasad A. B., Raisingani D., Srivastava H., Moryani V. (2024) · Journal of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics · narrative review
Standardised photography makes it easier to document the baseline, plan treatment, talk with the patient and the laboratory, and monitor progress. Good quality requires a repeatable set-up, lighting and proper data management.
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Accuracy of Dental Photography: Professional vs. Smartphone's Camera
Moussa C., Hardan L., Kassis C., Bourgi R., Devoto W., Jorquera G., Panda S., Abou Fadel R. i wsp. (2021) · BioMed Research International · comparative accuracy study
Under controlled conditions a smartphone and a DSLR differed in how they reproduced colour and detail. A smartphone can be useful, but shade matching and documentation need standardisation and calibration.
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Comparison of color accuracy and picture quality of digital SLR, point and shoot and mobile cameras used for dental intraoral photography: A pilot study
Saincher R., Kumar S., Gopalkrishna P., Maithri M., Sherigar P. (2022) · Heliyon · pilot study of colour accuracy
The way an image was captured affected how reliably tooth colour could be measured. The findings support using reference guides and constant conditions rather than relying on an uncontrolled photograph.