Source: Nikon Pro April 2003

Just wanted to share this publication with you.
Enjoy reading, Alessandro Devigus

Digital SLRs, Speedlights and micro lenses are becoming a Swiss Army knife for high-flying cosmetic dental surgeons.

Filmless photography can be considered an almost indispensable tool in the smile-correction business, even when the results are not bound for the gallery wall. An accurate electronic image is a powerful and versatile resource, whether it’s being used to build a medical record, form the basis of a diagnosis, provide a legal backup or simply to help clarify communication with the client. “Digitalisation has made photography more accessible”, says Alessandro Devigus from his dental practice in Bülach. Devigus has been using digital photography at work since the advent of the D1 and now gives courses in dental photography across Europe, the US and Asia. “With digital you can check and correct the images, and now everybody has a computer, copying and archiving is no longer a problem. Even large amounts of data can be handled efficiently.” Digital cameras can also be used for copying and storing x-ray pictures electronically.

Photographs form an invaluable part of a patient’s medical file – written descriptions can not compete with their accuracy – and they can also motivate clients or help to explain procedures and outcomes. Easy storage and transmission also speeds communication between dentist and patient. Images can be printed out and handed to the patient or, should indirect dental restorations be necessary, emailed to the dental technician making the fixture. Normally these technicians do not come into direct contact with patients.

“Digital photography also complements the data acquired by colour measurement systems employed to determine shade matching for the dental restorations, ” says Devigus. “The measurement systems focus on the colour and brightness, giving poor information about surface structure and reflectivity. That’s where the photograph comes in.”

Photo documentation is also providing dentists with a legal safety net, especially when undertaking expensive, invasive or irreversible procedures. “Patients are well informed and photographs serve a sbackup if the treatment in being discussed.

“And it’s fun to take a good picture and to photograph a happy patient”