Seeing is believing and sometimes what it takes to get patients to come to terms with an impending or already advanced dental problem. With intraoral cameras, our dentists won’t just dash off to a restricted area in our Smile Family Dentistry office during an examination and then emerge moments later with your diagnostic files. Rather, you will get to view a live video feed of your dentition during the examination, dispelling any doubts in your mind about the state of your oral health.
An intraoral camera is basically a device that can be placed inside the mouth to take x-ray shots of various parts of the mouth. The device usually comes in the form of a pen connected to a monitor. The pen comes with an x-ray sensor mounted on its tip and a sizable handle that can be used to focus the camera on various parts of the mouth. The images are sent to the monitor, which is positioned right beside the patient.
Intraoral cameras were first introduced several decades ago. And given its usefulness, the technology has undergone several upgrades throughout the years. Today, we can use intraoral cameras to project live images of telling symptoms like fractured or chipped teeth, or advanced tooth decay, as well as potential problems that may soon develop.
Unlike other imaging technologies like traditional x-rays and radiography, intraoral cameras produce images of a patient’s dentition in real-time. As such, your dental appointment will be shorter since you will not have to wait around for film processing and other processes required by other imaging technologies.
Besides dispelling patients’ doubts about their dental problems, intraoral cameras also help us better educate our patients about their dental health. With a vivid real-time image, we can offer better explanations for a patient’s dental condition and their potential consequences. When they have a better understanding of their dental problems, they will be more likely to make better decisions about their oral health and better understand the rationale behind our recommendations.
The usefulness of intraoral imaging goes way beyond the examination stage. We can use intraoral cameras in just about every stage of a treatment regimen, from the diagnostics to the restoration procedure and the recovery stage. We can use the technology to help you view real-time images of your dental condition before and after a procedure for clear comparisons. For instance, we can use it to record images of your teeth’s color before and after a teeth whitening procedure.
The digital images can easily be shared with other labs for your cosmetic restorations. The digital format of intraoral images also makes the technology eco-friendlier than other imaging options. You can easily take multiple or duplicate copies without using printing resources. But you can easily obtain a printout if you need it for record purposes like your dental insurance policy.
For some cases like orthodontic conditions, intraoral images are a necessity. We use them in combination with impressions to create plans for orthodontic treatments. If you want to learn more about cases that require intraoral imaging, call us today at 925-825-1130 or visit us at our Smile Family Dentistry office to speak with our experts about your unique dental health issues today.