Why is magnification so important for dentists?

About twenty two years ago I inherited an ancient pair of Zeiss magnifiers from another dentist. From the moment I first tried them on, I started looking at dentistry and my preparations differently. I became more critical of my work since when it was magnified all flaws became more visible!

Adjusting to working with loupes requires a break in period because they do not allow the same depth of field. Using my inherited loupes I had to be about 6 inches from the tooth I was working on and then I could only visualize the individual tooth I was working on. Taking my instruments in and out of the mouth was challenging and all teeth looked like giant teeth( this was initially disorienting since it was hard to measure widths of my preparations) but after about a week or two I made the needed  adjustments.

Once I was convinced on the improvements magnifying loupes afforded, I ordered a pair with an eighteen inch focal length and 3.3 magnification. In addition I purchased a head light since these loupes begged for more illumination.  Years later I upgraded to 4.4 Prismatic loupes because they had a much better depth of field than traditional Galilean Loupes allow. Now I can see three teeth at a time. The sole disadvantage for me is that the greater the magnification the more I need my patient to sit still without fidgeting. Even if my patient crosses or uncrosses their leg , to me it looks like there is an earthquake going on in their mouths.

Aside from me getting grouchy when my patients are moving around, I can see no disadvantage to magification since it makes it easier for me to see the finest details and if my work looks good under magnification it looks great when viewed by a naked eye!

from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://ift.tt/2ooXYva - http://ift.tt/1SpPbm6

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