What’s the Purpose of Intraoral and Extraoral Photos?

Photography has always been an important part of dentistry. And with the rise of digital technology, imaging has become even more accessible and valuable to dentists.

Photos taken inside and outside your mouth are an important part of preventive dentistry, providing information to your dentist as they seek the best possible outcome for your oral health.

With extraoral photography, your dentist takes photos of your teeth from outside your mouth. These photos can show how procedures performed inside the mouth affect the external appearance of the face.

Intraoral photography involves taking photos of your teeth from inside your mouth to show those hard-to-reach areas, allowing your dentist to more easily identify potential problems.

Here are a few reasons Dr. Brian LaBombard and the expert team at Airport Dental Care in Austin, Texas, use intraoral and extraoral photos. 

Diagnose your condition and plan your treatment

Taking photos of your mouth helps your dentist get a complete sense of what oral issues you might be dealing with. The more information your dentist has, the more accurately they can diagnose problems and devise a customized treatment plan for you.

Photographs can provide much more precise information than might be available just by viewing your teeth with the naked eye. They can even help your dentist detect problems such as tooth decay and gum disease when they’re in the earliest stages. 

In many cases, catching dental problems early enables the treatment to be more effective and less expensive.

Document your case

It’s always a good idea to have photo documentation of dental cases for a couple of reasons. 

First, seeing your condition when you started versus your condition at the conclusion of your treatment is a powerful reminder of how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished. 

Second, insurance companies sometimes require more documentation of a case than just a written description — photos often fulfill those requirements.

Communicate with patients

Photographs of your mouth also facilitate better communication between you and your dentist, so you know exactly what kind of treatment they’re proposing and what it involves.

In some cases, your dentist can project images from inside your mouth on a screen to show you what the issue is and how treatment might fix the problem. Getting everyone on the same page is a huge benefit that helps avoid misunderstandings down the road.

If you’re ready to benefit from top-notch dental care, including intraoral and extraoral photos, schedule an appointment at Airport Dental Care. Call the office or use the convenient online scheduler to start the process.