Dental Photography Student Handbook
Created by: Todd R. Schoenbaum, DDS, Richard G. Stevenson, DDS, The settings and equipment recommendations provided in this manual are guidelines. Adjustments may need to be made based on personal preference, equipment differences or varied situations. Below the images the magnification setting on the lens (i.e. 1:3, 1:1.5) and the aperture setting (i.e. f/8, f/32) will be identified
Photographic Strategies - The field needs to be free of debris, plaque, saliva, and blood - Visualize the final image before aligning the camera - Position the retractors as desired, and have the patient hold them in position - Mirrors must be clean and scratch-free - Retractors should be pulled out and away from the face - Ensure that the flash batteries are fully charged Full Face - Position the patient approximately 3 feet from the background drape - The patient s head should be vertical left-to-right and front-to-back - Autofocus is useful for this image only - Set the aperture to f/8 (if the image is too dark set to f/5.6) Shade Images - Position the shade tabs parallel with, and in the same plane as, the teeth being matched - The teeth need to be dry, but fully hydrated - Ensure that the tongue is not touching the lingual of the teeth - Use a contraster for maxillary anterior teeth to emphasize translucency and characterization Occlusal Images - Position the patient in a fully supine position, with the chair lowered as much as possible - The patient holds the retractors after they are placed by the clinician - The assistant holds the mirror and the air/water syringe to keep the teeth dry and de-fog the mirror - For the maxillary image, stand at the 12 o clock position, tilt the patient s head back - For the mandibular image, stand at the 9 o clock position, lean against the chair over the patient M (incisal reveal with lips at rest) - Set the magnification to 1:3 on the lens - Instruct the patient to say Emma, allowing the lips to relax to a normal position - Watch the patient do this a few times before positioning the camera and taking the picture E (maximum gingival display) - Instruct the patient to smile as big as possible - If the patient does not appear to be producing a complete smile, instruct them to say eeee
Photographic Armamentarium 1 - Digital SLR body 2 - Compatible Macro lens (~100mm; non-zoom) 3 - Macro flash (Ring or Dual-point) 4 - Memory card 5 - Cheek retractors 6 - Contraster 7 - Occlusal and buccal mirrors
Settings for Dental Photography Exposure mode: M (manual) Flash mode: ettl Focus: manual ISO: 200 White balance: Flash Image quality: Large JPEG RAW for shade images Shutter speed: 1/250 Aperture: f/8 for full face images f/32 for intra-oral images
Basic Diagnostic Image Series 6 images 1. Full face smiling - Use autofocus for this image - Patient s head should be vertical - Aperture may need to be adjusted depending on the flash strength magnification 1:15 aperture f/8 2. Lips in Repose ( M position) - Turn off auto focus; set magnification to 1:3 and aperture to f/32 - Instruct patient to say Emma - Used to determine incisal display with lips in repose 3. Maximum gingival display ( E position) - Instruct patient to say eeee - Used to determine the maximum lip height and gingival display
Basic Diagnostic Image Series 6 images 4. Retracted - Insert retractors - Thoroughly dry the teeth and gingiva - Teeth should be slightly separated - Retractors need to be pulled out and forward 5. Maxillary occlusal - Place patient in fully supine position - Insert retractors (patient holds) - Dry teeth, then insert mirror - Shoot from 12 o clock position - Focus at 1st premolar 6. Mandibular occlusal - Place patient fully supine with head tilted back - Insert retractors and dry teeth - Place mirror under tongue - Shoot from 12 o clock position - Focus at 1st premolar
Posterior Restoration Image Series 3 images 1. Shade Image (RAW) - Position shade tabs as close as possible to the teeth to be matched - Use the appropriate shade guide for the porcelain to be used - Keep tabs vertical 2. Pre-operative Occlusal - Use buccal mirror - If not using a rubber dam, use cheeck retractors - Teeth should be clean and dry 3. Post-operative Occlusal - Use buccal mirror - If not using a rubber dam, use cheeck retractors - Teeth should be clean and dry
Anterior Restoration Image Series 6 images 1. Full face smiling 4. Retracted magnification 1:15 aperture f/8 2. Pre-op 5. Shade Image (RAW) magnification 1:1.5 aperture f/32 magnification 1:1.5 aperture f/32 3. Preparation 6. Post-op magnification 1:1.5 aperture f/32 magnification 1:1.5 aperture f/32
Comprehensive Diagnostic Image Series (16 images) 1. Full face smiling 2. M (Lips in repose) 3. E (max. gingival display) 4. F (A-P relation) 5. Center smile 6. Right smile 7. Left smile 8. Pre-Operative shade image 9. Left retracted 10. Right retracted 11. Center retracted 12. Center close-up 13. Right close-up 14. Left close-up 15. Maxillary occlusal 16. Mandibular occlusal
Comprehensive Diagnostic Image Series (16 images)