An intraoral camera is a camera designed to be used in the mouth for the purpose of taking video or still photography. The camera, shaped like a large pen, is moved around the inside of your mouth. This provides you with a tooth-by-tooth video exam of your teeth so you can immediately see your teeth enlarged in color on flat screen monitor in the treatment room. We can freeze and store the pictures for a bigger and better look and even provide a photograph for you and your records.
This painless, no-radiation technique allows you to see problems such as worn-out, defective fillings, fractured teeth, decay, and bleeding gums. Together we can discuss your treatment plan with you for restoring your mouth to optimal health.
One of the primary uses for an intraoral camera is in patient education. Dentists often find it helpful to be able to show patients exactly what is going on inside their mouths, and to highlight areas where treatment may be needed. In addition, these cameras can be used to take clear visual records for patient files, and to generate material which can be used in consultations and discussions with other dental providers. For example, a general dentist might use the intraoral camera to take images of a tooth or area of the jaw that requires surgery so that an oral surgeon can examine the information before he or she meets the patient to get an idea of the kind of surgery that might be required.
Images taken by an intraoral camera can also be reviewed later, which can be useful for a dentist who suspects that something is not quite right in the mouth of a patient. The intraoral camera can also be used to document procedures for legal and educational reasons.
The benefits to the patient are:
- It allows you to better understand your dental needs by clearly seeing what we see
- It allows us to see problem areas that could easily be missed with just a visual examination