Introduction

Using Photography in the Dental Office

James Dunn, DDS

Copyright 2001 Journal of the California Dental Association.

"A picture is worth a thousand words" and "seeing is believing" are more appropriate to dentistry today than ever before. We live in a visual world. We, and our patients, are immersed in images from television, movies, videos, the Internet, DVDs, and countless magazines. We make choices on what we buy, where we go, our entertainment, and even our appearance, from pictures. We can even produce our own high-quality photographs using technology that until recently was available only to professional photographers. We expect one-hour processing of our film prints and slides and instantly replay digital photos and movies. Many of our patients expect that we will use images when we communicate with them.

Dentistry has used 35 mm and Polaroid film for several decades to record pre- and post-treatment images. Most photographs have ended up in patients’ charts, in articles for publications, or in teaching presentations. Some dentists gave prints and Polaroids to patients for education and personal marketing. A few dentists also created "smile galleries" for their own offices or to sell to other dentists to show patients how dental treatment can enhance their smiles.

The current emphasis on dental esthetics with technological advancements in tooth whitening, porcelain veneers, all-ceramic crowns, composites in anterior and posterior teeth, periodontal plastic surgery, and implants has created an increased need for photographs before and after treatment and to visually demonstrate to patients the available treatment options.

Other uses of images in dentistry are incorporation of images in patients files -- both paper and electronic, communicating with dental laboratories, referring to specialists, and one of the most important, communicating with patients on proposed treatment and after-treatment appearance.

Photography is also changing. High-resolution digital cameras are replacing film cameras. The dentist and his or her staff are now controlling not only image capture, but also the manipulation, printing, management, and transmission of imaging without the use of film. The "digital" office can capture images of patients and immediately send those images to the patient’s records, a printer, or to a software program that allows the dentist to present an electronic case presentation -- while the patient is still in the office. This convenience, however, comes with a price of additional equipment and more importantly, additional time spent on image management.

Whether film-based or digital, the dental practice of the future will be taking and using more photographs. We hope this issue on imaging in dentistry is helpful as you use photography in your practice.

Contributing Editor

James Dunn, DDS, is an associate professor of restorative dentistry at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.