Top 3 ways to maximize your intraoral camera

Tom Erickson, territory manager for Schick Intraoral Imaging with Sirona Dental, gives you his top three tips to get the most out of your intraoral camera.

Make it a routine experience

Using your camera often can help inform and educate patients. Tour the mouth and show patients two to three teeth that could benefit from treatment, i.e. Amalgam vs. Composite fillings.

Email pictures to patients so they have them on file to consider and discuss with a spouse/significant other.

Call attention to potential problem areas sooner

Patients need to be aware of potential problems and treatment options. A camera can help identify problem areas so you can alert patients to a tooth that may break off, or cause pain or sensitivity in the future.

A chipped tooth may not hurt, but dentin can be penetrated more easily by bacteria and decay if the enamel is gone. A fractured tooth is painless until it breaks off.

Strengthen documentation

Documentation protects the doctor and patient from emergency problems and strengthens insurance cases. Many insurance companies request a photo for approval of fillings that need to be replaced, and a crown will likely have better coverage with a photo.

Keep image records of specific cases discussed with your patients.

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