Intraoral Camera Tulsa, OK
Dental exams are a critical component of your oral care. With routine exams, we can spot issues in their earliest stages and provide you with the treatment you need to prevent more serious issues from developing. However, there are many areas of your mouth that are quite difficult to see with the naked eye, which can prevent us from otherwise quickly identifying problems in your mouth. At Smiles of Tulsa, we can gain a closer look at these hard to see places with the help of an intraoral camera.
Intraoral Cameras
Traditionally, the way to see the more difficult to view areas of your mouth was with a small metal mirror. You have most likely seen the mirror during your dental visits in the past. Today, rather than the metal mirror, we are using an intraoral camera. An intraoral camera is a handheld camera approximately the size of a large pen. It has a small optical camera on one end and is attached to a computer.
When we move the camera around in your mouth, the image is displayed in real time on the monitor, giving us a view of the hard to see areas of your mouth without having to be bent over your mouth. We can also take stills of your mouth, which gives us an opportunity to take a closer look at specific areas of your mouth without the need for you to have your mouth open for extended periods of time.
Seeing the Tiny Details of Your Mouth
After taking stills of your mouth, you can relax while we take a closer look. Using specialized software, we can target specific areas of your mouth and zoom in. We can also enhance the images for greater clarity. This allows us to see the tiniest details of your mouth, details we might never have been able to see before. The intraoral camera gives us a way to provide you with much more accurate diagnoses for a variety of different issues and can help us to develop a much more thorough, effective treatment plan that enables you to maintain optimal oral health.
Safely Storing Your Images
Any images that we take with the intraoral camera can then be stored in your digital file. Stored in the computer, we can easily pull up older images to compare side by side with new ones. There is no need to shuffle through a large paper file, wasting appointment time to find what we need. There is also much less risk of your pictures getting lost or ruined.
Get a Unique Look Inside Your Mouth
During a dental visit, you sit in the chair while we examine your mouth. You cannot see what we are doing. This lack of control over the situation can trigger anxiety in some patients. There are also some patients who may not believe that an issue is as serious as we say. With the intraoral camera, you can see everything that we see. You know exactly what we are doing, which can help to alleviate anxious feelings. You can also see the severity of any issues we find, allowing you to understand better your diagnosis and why we are recommending specific treatments.
Take Notice Sooner
Another unique feature of the intraoral camera is that we can print out any of the stills we take. This gives you a reference point for taking care of your mouth at home. You can use the pictures we provide you to keep an eye on your mouth at home. If you notice any changes, you can call the office immediately.
The intraoral camera allows us to spot even the smallest details in your mouth with greater ease than ever before. For more information on this incredible technology, and how it can help you to keep your mouth healthy, call Smiles of Tulsa at (918) 891-3059 today! |