Have you ever been at the dentist and either your dentist or dental hygienist tells you that you have something in your mouth, such as a large cavity, gum recession, or a chipped tooth? Is it usually in an area that you can’t see, even when they give you a mirror? Well, just as x-rays show parts of the teeth that can’t be seen visually, digital intraoral cameras allow you to see parts of your mouth you can’t see on your own. These mouthwatch intraoral cameras take clear, close up pictures of any part of your mouth.
Our dental team at Lakeview Dental always want to give you the best intraoral camera dental care and look at our patients as family. We make sure we give you a thorough examination of your mouth at every visit. Keep tracking of the data from visits allows us to notice if there are any changes happening in your mouth from one visit to the next. If you are a new patient with gum recession or you begin to have recession, taking photos at each visit helps us to know if it is still occurring. If you present with a lot of tartar build up or stain, taking pictures of this allows us to know if you are improving your care between visits. This information helps us to better be able to provide you with the right advice for homecare or in-office dental procedures.
A big advantage to intraoral photos is helping us get insurances to provide coverage for procedures. Have you ever needed a deep cleaning or a crown, thinking your insurance would cover it, only to find out after the claim has been sent that they denied coverage? This happens many times because insurance needs visual evidence that you really do need the procedure. If you have a large fracture, the x-ray will show that. However, x-rays are only two dimensional. Being able to show the insurance a photograph can help the insurance to see the full extent of the fractured tooth.
Deep cleanings are a procedure that insurances like to see a lot of evidence that a patient truly needs this done. X-rays can only show build up under the gums and bone loss. Intraoral pictures add more evidence by showing all of the buildup above the gums and the poor condition of the gums, including inflammation and bleeding. To prove deep pocket depth around the teeth, a photo can be taken with the dental probe inside the pocket, showing the exact depth, with bleeding.
There may come a time when you notice an abnormal marking on your gums, cheek, tongue, or lips. Generally, we would send you to an oral surgeon for examination. Having photos already taken and sent to the specialist can speed up the process. If our dentist feels it is nothing to be concerned with, taking intraoral photos at each visit helps our team to determine if the mark goes away or possibly gets worse.
Have you ever had a dentist or dental hygienist ask if you grind your teeth? A common side effect of clenching or grinding your teeth are indents in the tops of your teeth. Sometimes these are so tiny they are hard to see even with a mirror. If our dental hygienist or assistant can take a close-up picture, we can show you the damage that is being done to your teeth from your habit. Many times, patients do not believe this is happening unless they see it with their own eyes. These photos can also help insurance pay for the night guard that will be recommended to you.