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Special Issues
July/August 2018
Volume 39, Issue 3
Peer-Reviewed

Dental Photography Enhances Case Acceptance and Patient Satisfaction

Jean C. Ocasio, CDA, CDD, MHA

Using digital photography to assist in the diagnosis of dental conditions, create a consultation, and develop a treatment plan can help increase patient acceptance that will ultimately improve a practice’s productivity and profitability. Good clinical photographs help patients understand their dental issues, make them feel at ease, and could be the deciding factor in whether a patient proceeds with a recommended treatment. In addition, during a new patient evaluation, taking photographs of different areas of the mouth will allow the patient to better understand the type of treatment needed. Photographs of a patient’s smile can be very telling and are an effective conversation starter, paving the way to a positive dialogue between the patient and the dental care provider. With the proper equipment, such as the EyeSpecial C-III digital dental camera (Shofu Dental, shofu.com), photography becomes an efficient and enjoyable task for the entire dental team. Furthermore, by creating a standardized protocol of necessary images, a regular routine can be implemented for team members to help fulfill expectations without interrupting the workflow.

Key Takeaways

Providing the dental team with the right combination of photography tools and training can improve practice productivity and profitability. The EyeSpecial C-III is an ultra-light (weighing about 1 lb), user-friendly digital camera designed for dentistry.

A series of photographs can help patients understand and accept proposed dental care without being overwhelmed by information. Moreover, using both x-rays and clinical photographs can help decrease the denial and appeal of insurance claims.

Digital photography has revolutionized the way in which patients view and select their dental care and enables clear, concise communication with a dental laboratory to obtain an accurate, esthetic case.

About the Author

Jean C. Ocasio, CDA, CDD, MHA
Office Manager
Advanced Esthetic Dentistry
Orlando, Florida

Fig 1. Shofu’s EyeSpecial C-III is water- and chemical-resistant, features autofocus and anti-shake capabilities, and has a large LCD touchscreen. The digital camera provides eight preset shooting modes (Standard, Surgery, Mirror, Face, Low Glare, Whitening, Tele-Macro, and Isolate Shade) to enable fast, easy, highly reproducible images for a wide range of applications.

Figure 1

Fig 2. A series of photographs, including preoperative full-face repose and smile utilizing Face mode on the EyeSpecial C-III, can help patients better visualize their smile and understand their oral condition. In this case, the patient presented for a hygiene appointment and expressed no cosmetic concerns. However, once he was shown various photographs on a large screen he noted that he was concerned primarily with white-spot lesions evident on teeth Nos. 8 and 9 as well as poor teeth alignment.

Figure 2

Fig 3. A series of photographs, including preoperative full-face repose and smile utilizing Face mode on the EyeSpecial C-III, can help patients better visualize their smile and understand their oral condition. In this case, the patient presented for a hygiene appointment and expressed no cosmetic concerns. However, once he was shown various photographs on a large screen he noted that he was concerned primarily with white-spot lesions evident on teeth Nos. 8 and 9 as well as poor teeth alignment.

Figure 3

Fig 4. Close-up photographs of the patient’s preoperative smile utilizing Standard mode (Fig 4) and Isolate Shade mode (Fig 5), which is helpful for shade matching, clearly revealed the white-spot lesions. These photographs helped the patient/clinician communication as the patient agreed not only to the whitening treatment, but also to the clear aligner therapy.

Figure 4

Fig 5. Close-up photographs of the patient’s preoperative smile utilizing Standard mode (Fig 4) and Isolate Shade mode (Fig 5), which is helpful for shade matching, clearly revealed the white-spot lesions. These photographs helped the patient/clinician communication as the patient agreed not only to the whitening treatment, but also to the clear aligner therapy.

Figure 5

Fig 6. Preoperative photographs may also include buccal and frontal retracted views together, as shown here, to help patients visualize their dentition. These photos further enabled the patient to see the white spots and misalignment of the teeth from different angles.

Figure 6

Fig 7. Preoperative photographs may also include buccal and frontal retracted views together, as shown here, to help patients visualize their dentition. These photos further enabled the patient to see the white spots and misalignment of the teeth from different angles.

Figure 7

Fig 8. Preoperative photographs may also include buccal and frontal retracted views together, as shown here, to help patients visualize their dentition. These photos further enabled the patient to see the white spots and misalignment of the teeth from different angles.

Figure 8

Fig 9. Compatible with the Eye-Fi wireless memory card, the EyeSpecial C-III allows immediate uploading of the patient’s before (Fig 9) and after (Fig 10) treatment results onto the practice’s tablet, iPad, or PC. After a conservative approach for the treatment of the white-spot lesions was taken, the patient was able to clearly see the difference in demineralization of the tooth surface where the white spots were virtually “erased.”

Figure 9

Fig 10. Compatible with the Eye-Fi wireless memory card, the EyeSpecial C-III allows immediate uploading of the patient’s before (Fig 9) and after (Fig 10) treatment results onto the practice’s tablet, iPad, or PC. After a conservative approach for the treatment of the white-spot lesions was taken, the patient was able to clearly see the difference in demineralization of the tooth surface where the white spots were virtually “erased.”

Figure 10

Fig 11. The patient was pleased with his improved teeth shade. Additionally, the patient now understands the esthetic problems associated with malocclusion and will begin clear aligner therapy to complete the case.

Figure 11

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