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“Seeing is Believing” with Digital Photography in Dentistry
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New York, N.Y., (April 5, 2004) - As the motto goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and in today’s technology driven society, this is more applicable to dentistry now than ever before. Digital photography offers unique advantages to dental practices as it now makes it easier for dentists to show their before and after photographs on the spot. Dr. Clifford Williams, a Manhattan cosmetic and restorative dentist, is at the forefront of incorporating the most effective and time efficient digital equipment into his practice. As Dr. Williams explains, "Digital photography enhances the communication made between the patient and the photography department." Dentists can quickly and easily record visual records of patient’s teeth, their gum structure and color. Digital images are immediately available for viewing or printing and can easily be incorporated into PowerPoint presentations, emails and computerized patient records. As technology continues to advance in the dental industry, there is an increased need for photographs to showcase before and after treatments and to visually demonstrate to patients the treatment options that are available.
For decades, dental practices had been using 35mm and Polaroid film to chronicle pre and post treatment images of anything from teeth whitening shades to cosmetic restoratives and veneers. With film, the image is recorded on a film negative. With digital, the image is secured as digital information. The more archaic methods of physically duplicating the film negatives were very labor intensive and time consuming for the dentist. This also created a higher margin of error in replicating the exact shape, color and size of the tooth. Dr. Williams states, "Digital cameras can also use image science to perform tasks that once fell to the camera operator or film processor. For example, some digital cameras detect the color balance of ambient light--such as the yellowish cast of tungsten bulbs or the greenish cast of fluorescent lighting--as the shutter opens. They then use software to perform color corrections on the image to compensate for the ambient lighting. The result is more consistent, color-neutral images--without additional time or expense." The digital images that are produced deliver not only convenience for both dentist and patient (since there is no wait time) but also an electronic case presentation for the patient’s records.
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