Every dentist and orthodontist should make dental photography part of their everyday operations. Having the right tools to take top-quality dental photos serves multiple purposes, so keep reading to learn why dental photos are a necessity and how different cameras for dental photography compare.
Why is Dental Photography so Important For Dentists and Orthodontists?
Dental photography helps dentists and orthodontists accomplish a number of things that contribute to the success of their practice, including:
- Adding better visuals to their dental website design
- Showcasing their work
- Saving high-quality dental records for their dental braces patients
Recommended Cameras for Dentists and Orthodontists
There are a few different cameras used by dentists and orthodontists when they want to elevate their brand with great photography. The two most common dental cameras are as follows:
DSLR Cameras for Dental Photography
DSLR’s, such as those by Canon or Nikon, take beautiful pictures, as well as HD video. Newer cameras even shoot video in 4K, which is excellent for testimonials that you can then upload to your website and social media. Combine a DSLR with a lens that shoots great close-ups and you will take great photos of your patients’ teeth! This makes DSLR cameras ideal because they work for marketing purposes and record-keeping purposes. Unfortunately, DSLR’s are on the pricier side and tend to offer features that may go beyond your needs as a dentist. Because of this, it may not be worth the extra money.
Point-And-Shoot Cameras for Dentists to Take Clinical Braces Photos
As their name suggests, all you need to do is point it and shoot your picture, which is just enough for dentists. The trade-off with these is that the photos may not be the best quality, so even though it works really well for dental and orthodontic record-keeping, it may not be ideal for marketing purposes.
OrthoPhoto App Smartphone Camera for Braces Progress Images
OrthoPhoto has successfully automated the time-consuming process of capturing and sorting dental braces progress images, all without having to drop thousands of dollars on high-tech equipment. With a typical camera–regardless if it’s a point-and-shoot or DSLR camera–dentists have to take the photos, upload them, manually crop and organize them into a file, and then place them into a patient’s record folder.
A single patient may take 15-30+ minutes, so dentists often spend a lot of time after-hours getting this necessary task done. With the OrthoPhoto mobile application, however, dentists can take photos right on their smartphone camera, and today’s smartphones have astounding camera capabilities that keep getting better. Because of this, your phone not only captures great clinical images but also great marketing material. Our mobile app automatically places the braces progress photos into a templated document with the correct crop, size, and order and then places them in a specific patient’s file you designate. This significantly cuts down the time it takes to organize braces photos so dentists can dedicate their energy to other aspects of their job. If you're ready to practice better, more efficient dentistry, then please download OrthoPhoto App for iOS or OrthoPhoto App for Android.