Oral photography Flashcards
List 5 reasons why it is important to take clinical photographs
- It serves as a pre-treatment record for medico-legal purposes
- Helps serve as a documentation for progress; before and after
- Informs treatment planning
- Provides visual information for patients
- Serves as a form of communication between practitioners. For example, if a patient has recession, you as the clinician can send their oral photographs to a specialist to determine if they should have the gingival graft. It can therefore serve as something that can be used in lieu of a physical consultation
List the four records required to make an orthodontic diagnosis
- A clinical exam and assessment
- Good quality intra and extraoral photos
- Radiographs; panoramic and lateral cephalometric films
- Study models (molds or 3D imaging)
List the 3 types of profiles extra-oral photographs taken
- Side profile (can take both sides)
- Frontal view
- Can take one of patient smiling
List the 6 types of intra-oral photographs taken
There will be six photos:
• One of the patient keeping their mouth in centric occlusion
• Patient slightly opening mouth
• Mandibular occlusal view
• Maxillary occlusal view
• Lateral aspect of bite with mouth in centric occlusion
State what goes into the clinical notes regarding the oral photographs (2)
- The state of the dentition before any intervention is noted. For instance, tooth discolorations, enamel defects, gingival recessions, fracture
- Fillings and composites are noted
This is to protect the clinician from legal issues
Explain why it is important to take photographs for patients
- Some patients may not understand the need for a particular treatment like jaw surgery, and may only want braces
- Photographs can be edited to show patients what the end result of treatment would be like
- This can help inform and convince them for the need for particular treatments
List the 2 pieces of equipment required for dental photo
- A macro lens (60- 100mm) that allows us to move in close
* A light source that is close enough to the lens but does not cast shadows on the subject
List the advantages (1) and disadvantages (1) of ring flash
Ring flash
Advantages:
• Easy to achieve good results, especially when taking shots of the challenging molar regions
Disadvantages:
• Results in plasticity: separate parts of an image are in different focus
List the advantages (2) and disadvantages (1) of twin flash
Twin flash
Advantages:
• Provides better results
• Light output is higher resulting in larger depth of field and illumination. • It makes the image more three dimensional
Disadvantages
• For every single shot, the reflectors need to be checked and corrected
List the 3 important accessories needed for an intraoral radiograph
- Lip and check retractors
- Photograph mirrors (can be made of metal or surface coated glass)
- Contrasters (black backgrounds behind teeth which remove distracting background and improve the image)
Define depth of field
- The zone of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject on which the lens is focused
- Simply put: how sharp or blurry is the area behind your subject.
Define aperture and its effect on the image
- Large aperture
- Small aperture
Definition:
• Refers to the opening of a lens’s diaphragm through which light passes
• By controlling the amount of light coming into the image, we can control its brightness
Large aperture:
• Indicated by a small number
• This results in less depth of field and a blurrier background
Small aperture:
• Indicated by a large number
• This results in a greater depth of field and a sharper background
State the aperture required for intraoral and extraoral photographs in terms of the f number
Intra-oral:
•We want everything to be focus
•Therefore, a small aperture is desired AKA large f number
Extra-oral:
• We only want the patients face to be in focus
• Therefore, a large aperture is desired AKA small f number
Define shutter speed
- A camera takes a photograph by exposing a digital sensor to light
- The shutter is a barrier that keeps light out when you’re not taking a photo
- Pressing the button at the top of the camera opens the shutter, and when the shutter is open, an image is recorded
- When the shutter closes, the camera stops recording.
- The shutter speed, then, is just how long that barrier stays open to let light into the image
- Shutter speed is how long an image is exposed to light — it can be milliseconds, or even minutes
State the shutter speed required for intraoral and extraoral photographs
- Shutter speed can affect exposure and blurring
- Handheld photography requires a shutter speed of at least 1/ 160th of a second to 1/125th of a second (when flash is on)
Define ISO and its effect on a photograph
Definition:
• Measures the sensitivity of the image sensor to the amount of light present
Effect:
• The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain
• Higher numbers mean your sensor becomes more sensitive to light which allows you to use your camera in darker situations. The cost of doing so is more grain
• Set this at 100 for minimal grain
State the position of the clinician when taking an intra oral and extra-oral photograph
- Adjust patient chair to your height
- Ensure the camera is directly above/ or in line with the aspect being photographed
- Clinician can stand
State the specifics of a frontal view intraoral photograph (3) and state the effect of an uncentered occlusal plane
Specifics:
• The occlusal plane should be in the middle of the photograph
• In addition, the midline of the maxillary arch should be centred in the middle of the photograph
• All the teeth should be visible
Effect:
• If the occlusal plane is not centred (i.e, the camera was to high or too low when positioned), it can distort the perspectives of the incisors (may cause it to look like there is a huge overbite when there isn’t)
State the specifics of a lateral view intraoral photograph (2)
- Photographs should be perpendicular to the lateral teeth (with the aid of a mirror)
- Occlusal plane should be parallel to the horizontal frame of the photograph
State the specifics of a mandibular/ maxillary intraoral photograph (2)
- For these views, get patients to hold their breathe as breathing can fog up mirrors
- For the mandible, have the patient place their tongue behind the mirror
State the specifics for taking extraoral photographs (4)
- Patients should tied their hair back so that the jaw line can be exposed. Hair can cover the jawline and prevent an accurate diagnosis/ from picking up asymmetry
- Patient should be in their natural head posture with their natural occlusion
- There should be no shadow in front of the patient
- Sometimes, we might get the patient to bring their jaw forward to see how the profile improves to determine which appliance is best suited for them
