What Are Intra-Oral Images?
An intra-oral image is defined as a photographic image obtained by intra-oral or extra-oral camera. Intra-oral cameras deliver high-quality images that help our patients learn about problem areas and better understand their treatment options.
Mounted on t
he end of a pen-shaped instrument, the tiny intra-oral camera can be used to provide detailed imaging of the teeth and gums.
Digital images are captured instantly and displayed on a monitor, where our patients and clinical staff can view them together. The intra-oral camera allows you to be an active partner in your dental treatment. It will enable you to see what we see which can greatly increase your comfort before and during a procedure.
Why Do We Take Them?
Intra-oral images are quickly becoming essential in patient care and are integral to the treatments we offer to our patients. There are several reasons why we take intra-oral images. Intra-oral images are important diagnostic aids for our clinical team. With an enlarged intra-oral image of your patient’s teeth on your computer monitor, you have the benefit of seeing, cracks, leaking restorations, calculus, periodontal abnormalities, oral lesions and many other disorders.
These images enable our clinical staff to map out a clear plan and assessment of the patients’ needs, as well as being able to clearly envision how to correct a problem.
See For Yourself
The standard digital x-ray is essential in determining any dental problems that may be present, but unfortunately, it may not reveal everything happening inside your mouth. Here, at Future of Dentistry, we are proud to have added the diagnostic technology of intra-oral cameras which has enabled us to provide optimal patient care.
The intra-oral camera captures images and displays them in a magnified version which provides our clinical staff with a better understanding of how to correct a potential issue. It also identifies problems that may not be detected by the traditional method of examination, including cracks in fillings or hairline fractures in teeth.
This technology provides our patients with a new level of education, elevating patient understanding. Patients can now see for themselves these defects and make better decisions regarding their own treatment. They can now see the same things we see and understand the implication of not correcting the problem.
Help With Insurance
Intra-oral images are also beneficial when it comes to dealing with dental insurance companies. There are times when our best digital x-rays are not enough to support our clinical recommendations to a dental insurance company.
Our dental team and our patients have the advantage of seeing firsthand the clinical condition of a tooth but, how can a dental insurance company sees it? Sending an intra-oral image to the insurance company allows us to show a dental insurance company exactly what we see. These diagnostic photographic images provide accurate documentation of the tooth’s condition before treatment is performed.
So, the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” is certainly appropriate when it comes to intra-oral images. When a patient and an insurance company can see for the first time what we see, it can add a whole new dimension to treatment plan acceptance and patient motivation.