Dental Digital Photography – A Must Have To Boost Your Case Acceptance

Digital photography is revolutionizing the way dentistry is done and is quickly becoming one of the key tools to dental treatment plan acceptance. Nothing underscores the need for treatment better than clear, close-up pictures of a patient’s mouth with emphasis on what needs to be addressed. Doctors across the country are beginning to understand the impact that photography has in driving home the need for dental care and here we will outline just why incorporating pictures into your practice can increase your treatment plan acceptance rate exponentially.

There is a technique to using dental digital photography successfully in your practice. The photos should be used to enhance the treatment plan you present and to get your patient excited about what the final results will be. To do this, the photography should be just another part of the entire dental visit experience. You should incorporate taking the pictures into the patient in-take process and should be included in every hygiene or recare visit for patients with outstanding treatments.

If you can demonstrate to patients the real need for their treatment case plan through the use of digital photography, and show them the before and after pictures of other patients who accepted their plans, you will see your case plan acceptance rate sky-rocket.

Dental photography used to be quite rudimentary. Dentists would use stock photos of dental procedures or, occasionally actual photos of the patient’s mouth. However, photography was limited to film and it took time to develop and process making it unwieldy for wide-spread use. With the introduction of digital photography, dental offices began to incorporate pictures into their practice more often as it was a quick and easy tool to show patients their teeth and what needed to be done. However, it wasn’t until recently that dentists began incorporating digital photography into a more seamless experience for their patients.

Now, instead of a clinician going through a number of single-tooth pictures of teeth in disrepair with a new patient – something that could quickly become overwhelming, dentists have replaced this tedious process with a quick and efficient way of showing different processes and expected results. With a number of different editing software available it is easier than ever to create clear and understandable presentations for patients using real dental images to emphasize care and treatment options. 

There are certain crucial pictures needed when building a patient’s treatment case plan.

The following are part of every single successful plan:

1. Full face
2. Lip at rest
3. Retracted full smile (with or without teeth separated)
4. Right lateral retracted
5. Left lateral retracted
6. Maxillary occlusal
7. Mandibular occlusal

The above series of photos will provide patients with the information they need to truly understand and accept their treatment case plan without being overwhelmed by too much information.

by using Zuub you can provide them with the tools they need to see their various options and how it would impact timelines and cost, thereby facilitating their decision-making process and increasing your acceptance rates.

It is best that all new patient photos and targeted hygiene recall appointment photos are taken by your office coordinator and/or assistant before being seen by you. By integrating the photos into the dental visit, the coordinator has time to build a slideshow with them that can be reviewed by you along with your patient when you enter the room – modern editing software and technology provide the tools for this to be done easily. There are several editing software programs on the market such as PowerPoint, Photoshop, Keynote, PhotoDirector and Paint Shop Pro.  It is important to target both new patient and hygiene recare patients with incomplete treatment plans in the same way.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t need to take the pictures. As long as the pictures are good enough, they can be tweaked with editing software and patients will be excited to see them.

Using oversized monitors mounted to the chairs in the treatment rooms will give patients an unparalleled view of their mouth and what needs to be done. Once their initial exam is complete, you can go through the pictures with your patient and explain exactly what you see in the images. You will be surprised at how engaged patients become!

The real secret is getting patients involved. If you can demonstrate to patients the real need for their treatment case plan through the use of digital photography, and show them the before and after pictures of other patients who accepted their plans, you will see your case acceptance rate sky-rocket.

If your patient’s treatment plan has many options, you might want to schedule a recall appointment to review everything with them to help with their case acceptance. Or by using Zuub treatment plans, you can provide them with the tools they need to see their various options and how it would impact timelines and cost, thereby facilitating their decision-making process and increasing your acceptance rates.