The intraoral camera is an amazing diagnostic tool for viewing different angles in the mouth that we would not have been able to just a few years ago. The camera gives us the ability to view the entire mouth on a monitor so that we can get a closer look at any potential issues or problems that may arise. In addition, the patient will have the ability to see for themselves first hand the same images we are seeing. These digital images are also excellent for gaining procedure acceptance from insurance companies.
According to prodentshop.com, "the rapid advancement in dental technology has led to the introduction of various new products that best suit the patient needs. They help in offering world-class services to patients and improve the standard of dental care as well. Everything in the world of dentistry is getting faster, better, and more precise. Companies are continuously pushing boundaries with new innovations and bringing technologically advanced products to the market. One such revolutionary invention in dentistry is the intraoral camera.
What Is an Intraoral Camera?
Best described as an effective tool used by dentists to communicate and educate their patients, intraoral cameras are essentially tiny digital cameras that enable dentists to capture images of difficult-to-reach areas in the mouth. They can easily go inside the mouth and capture digital images inside it. They are powerful tools to effectively find out teeth problems hidden even in the most troublesome areas of the mouth.
The camera looks like a writing pen that, when moved around inside the mouth, allows the practitioner to see detailed, enlarged images of teeth surfaces, gum conditions, and other minute detail about tissues, cavities, etc. that cannot be seen by the naked eye. An intraoral camera does not cause any pain or discomfort to the patient and has no side effects. It captures clear video and images of the corroded or tarnished fillings, hairline fractures, bleeding gums, plaque, and several other critical teeth problems in real-time, while the patient is comfortably seated in the dental chair.
How Does Intraoral Cameras Work?
Just a tad longer than the size of a pen, an intraoral camera has a tiny lens fitted on its tip. The intraoral camera is connected to the dentist’s computer and when it is moved around inside the mouth, it captures images that can be transmitted to the computer and can be seen by both, the patient and the dentist.
The latest-technology intraoral cameras allow a dentist to freeze the shots he desires and examine them in-depth. These captured images can be arranged, enlarged, and stored for better diagnosis and future records. It is the best way to see the hidden problematic areas of the mouth and prescribe the correct treatment.
Intraoral Cameras over Extraoral Cameras
Extraoral digital cameras existed even before the invention of the intraoral camera and continued to be used thereafter as well. So, what makes intraoral cameras better than them? Besides the fact that it can go inside the mouth, the main advantage of an intraoral camera is the quality of image captured.
Also, it is not only faster than extraoral digital cameras, but its images are visible almost immediately on the large computer screen. When it comes to an extraoral camera, one needs to manually set its retractors, adjust the mirrors and frame the shots along with downloading into the computer software.
With an intraoral camera, however, everything is automatic, thereby saving a lot of time and energy of the patient and the dentist."