We’re Kind of Intraoral Camera Geeks.
If you’re considering adding or extending the use of intraoral cameras at your practice — great! We’d like to share a checklist of what to look for.
This list is distilled from years of experience making and selling intraoral cameras — and all the collected feedback we’ve gathered listening to dentists and oral health care professionals over the years.
The most important thing is to get intraoral cameras in hands of you and your team — whether it’s MouthWatch or another camera.
First, the most important thing is to get intraoral cameras in hands of you and your team — whether it’s MouthWatch or another camera.
Using IOCs at every appointment will improve patient education, increase case acceptance, build patient trust and rapport, and even reduce insurance claim problems.
To achieve those benefits, here are five things to look for when investing in intraoral cameras (we’ll point out how MouthWatch measures up for each one):
1. Reliable, High-Quality Images
Specs aren’t always the best guide to the quality of images you’ll capture with an intraoral camera. Capture time, auto-focus and zoom can all affect the clarity of your images. This is some of the most consistent feedback we hear from dentists and hygienists. (Some camera manufacturers also advertise “HD” when they aren’t true high definition resolution.)
Look at actual images captured by the camera. Taking reliable, high-quality images requires a quick capture which decreases the possibility of image blur due to movement. No matter what the advertised sensor specifications of a camera are, if you have to take time to make several adjustments to focus or wait for blurry auto-focus to find a target, your image capture is going to be slow and unreliable, and ultimately a source of frustration.
For you to be happy with your intraoral camera as a daily driver, find a camera designed for fast, reliable, no-lag capture.
How do MouthWatch cameras stack up? With MouthWatch you aren’t trading quality for an affordable price — you get both. With the use of fixed focus lenses, bright LEDs, and fast image transfer, MouthWatch intraoral cameras take sharp, crystal clear, color accurate images that dental professionals can use to educate their patients, present treatment needs and retain accurate documentation. Fast, no lag, reliable capture at every use.
2. A Lightweight, Ergonomic Camera
Dental professionals are at a high risk for musculoskeletal disorders because the demands of their profession include holding heavy instruments in a pinch grasp and repetitive motion. When choosing an intraoral camera that’s going to be used regularly, weight and ergonomic design are important to consider.
Check the scales! Grams count.
All other factors being equal, a heavy intraoral camera is going to introduce more potential strain, especially when it is used as intended throughout the day with every patient. The extra “features” packed into expensive cameras to justify costs, may not be worth it when they add significantly to the weight of the camera.
How does MouthWatch Tip the Scales? When dental professionals pick up one of our cameras for the first time, we often hear: “Wow, it’s so light!” It weighs only 31 grams. The ergonomics of the camera are also assisted by its comfortable grasp profile and the centrally located capture button which allows for multiple different grasp styles. Studies have shown that larger diameter handles require less muscles and pinch forces to operate, making them more comfortable for dental professionals to use repeatedly. MouthWatch kept this in mind when designing the sleek, ergonomic shape of our intraoral cameras.
3. Ease of Use & Ease of Integration
Intraoral cameras are an invaluable tool for simplifying many aspects of the dental professional’s job. They are a proven tool for patient education, treatment case acceptance and so much more.
Cameras must be user friendly so that work flow isn’t disturbed or your team might not consistently use them. If a dental provider has to navigate a complex camera they are less likely to utilize it with every patient.
Look for a camera that requires minimal inputs to take an image and store in your imaging software. Integration into imaging software is as important as ease of use. Intraoral images should be automatically captured, organized and stored within the practice’s imaging software without any extra steps or keyboard clicks. Image capture and review shouldn’t slow down patient care.
Find out if the camera has single button capture that will save straight to charts.
What else to look for? Ease of integration also should mean no charge for proprietary integration drivers, and integration support included in your purchase.
We Set the Gold Standard for Universal Integration. MouthWatch integrates with just about every imaging system under the sun. Our free button-capture software included with every camera is typically installed by customers in under 10 minutes and is guaranteed to enable seamless integration with your imaging. Plus, as part of our free lifetime customer support included with every camera, our friendly support teams is there to help if any issues occur.
4. Find Out What’s Included (or Not) with Your Camera Purchase
We’ve heard horror stories from dentists at dental meetings about spending several thousand (or more) on a single camera, and then having to either pay more for software, or having to pay for support when needed. Check that the software or drivers you are going to need are actually included. And is support included for free? Is it only email support? Is it from overseas and therefore in a very different time zone and with agents who might struggle to communicate effectively with you? What if the camera isn’t a good fit for you or your team? Does the manufacturer give you a full year warranty? Is there a money-back guarantee? Do they provide free training for your team on best practices and use of your new cameras, for free?
At MouthWatch, Affordability Means Free Support and Integration Software. With the simplicity of the MouthWatch intraoral camera integration, you really won’t need an IT professional to install it. But should you run into any concerns, the MouthWatch team is available for a lifetime. This means you will never need to worry about your camera not working, they are there to support your dental team and quickly resolve any issue. And every camera is covered by a 30-day no-risk money-back guarantee.
5. Don’t Pay More Than You Should
When you choose to add a piece of equipment to your practice, cost is going to be a factor you’re considering. You also have to think about the cost of not having the equipment: lost opportunity, lost gains in efficiency or patient experience.
“The days of the $3500 intraoral camera are over.”
Dr. John Flucke, dental technology coach
We firmly believe that the best scenario for most practices is to be capturing and storing intraoral pictures at every appointment. We make intraoral cameras that make that investment decision much easier. The price of other intraoral cameras can range pretty dramatically, upwards of $3,500 for a single camera. Pricing like that means many dentists hesitate to fully equip their operatories and teams, especially when expensive cameras have a reputation for being easily broken or frustrating to use.
MouthWatch has taken a different approach . We sell affordable intraoral cameras that are super easy to use for every day reliable high-quality images—so dental practices can see the benefits of intraoral images in their patient workflow in every operatory, without overextending their budgets. At MouthWatch, affordable high-quality also means free support and never a charge for integration software. With the simplicity of the MouthWatch intraoral camera integration, you really won’t need an IT professional to install it. But our friendly MouthWatch support team is there for you if you do need any help getting your cameras integrated. There’s never a charge for integration software.
Summary
Whether it’s MouthWatch cameras or other solution, your patients, team members and practice are going to benefit from intraoral cameras integrated into your workflow. We’ve published an ebook with 10 ways intraoral cameras can be great team members
The checklist for intraoral cameras:
- Workflow friendly: Fast, no lag, reliable, high-quality images
- Daily driver: Lightweight and ergonomic
- Hassle free: Ease of use, ease of integration
- Fully backed: Free lifetime customer support, no hidden charges
- Value: Make the decision to have intraoral cameras widely deployed at your practice easy
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At Dentistry IQ, See How Dr. Knowles Chose Intraoral Cameras to Invest in.