ISBN: 0-86715-436-5

978-0-86715-436-8 , 9780867154368

248 pp (spiral binding); 262 illus (mostly color)

Contents

Basic Concepts and Methodology
• Technical Elements
• Visual and Psychological Perception
• Requisite Equipment for Image Capture

Photographic Setups
• Facial Compositions
• Natural Dentition
• Anterior Prostheses
• Posterior Prostheses
• Periodontal and Surgical Procedures
• Dental Pathology
• Dental Laboratory

Image Management
• Processing, Storage, and Archiving
• Editing and Presentation

FOREWORD
The roots of dental photography can be found in the need to create educational material for the various levels of dentistry: from undergraduate studies, to the clinical field, to the continuing education course. Later, the need to maintain some medicolegal documentation also emerged. However, only with the introduction of simple and affordable digital equipment did clinicians start to realize the great impact dental photography can have in their daily practices. Dental photography has become a powerful and indispensable tool for treatment plan presentation and patient education in many practices. Good photographic presentations and effective communication can immediately simplify the explanation of obscure dental terms, demonstrate or justify the need for treatment, and, with the proper archives, enable clinicians and their auxiliaries to present to patients completed cases that are visual testimonies to their professional capabilities.

Every clinician has a different level of photographic skills. Many are just at the point where they are searching for the proper equipment to integrate photography into their practice. But once such equipment is acquired, the opportunity for substantial growth quickly becomes clear, kindling the desire to cultivate one’s skill. During this learning process, the intricacies of light diffusion, exposure, and other details of photography can be overwhelming; however, once one realizes the power of good dental photography, there is no need to justify the means to achieve it. Here, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

The next question is, can photography really be taught? Various kinds of photography are considered to be art, and many believe, or fear, that art cannot be taught—a person either possesses the talent or does not. However, a consideration of painting can illuminate this issue. In order to paint, one must learn the fundamentals of canvas layering, which has nothing to do with talent: It is a technique. Understanding and mastering a technique will not necessarily turn a novice into a master, but it can significantly improve one’s performance, and becoming better at what we do is a driving force for most of us. Selecting the proper teacher is another significant factor in the learning process. An individual who has the elusive “talent to teach” and the ability to break the process into well-structured, easy-to-understand building blocks will be effective and make learning enjoyable. Dr Ahmad is a fine example of such an individual. With a keen eye for color, a thorough understanding of the medium, and the desire to share his knowledge, he definitely can be called not only talented, but a good teacher as well. I therefore urge you to take advantage of the author’s professional skills and vast experience, as well as the blessing that the material is presented by a clinician for clinicians. This valuable book will enable you to improve your dental photography and, in turn, show patients what possibilities treatment can provide. And, since high-quality images will provide a closer look at your own work, this book ultimately will make you a better clinician.

Avishai Sadan, DMD
Department of Prosthodontics
LSU School of Dentistry
New Orleans, Louisiana

PREFACE
This book is intended to be a practical, accessible, and readily usable manual for daily clinical and laboratory dental photography using both conventional and digital media. The premise is simplicity: Rather than burden the reader with verbose scientific and theoretical aspects more relevant to a student preparing for a doctorate, this book endeavors to furnish the busy clinician with practical methods for achieving the desired result. Furthermore, the book does not reiterate manufacturers’ specifications relating to a specific item of equipment that can be readily obtained in an owner’s manual. On the contrary, the goal is to explain the basic concepts of photography and provide a quick-reference guide for clinicians who want to produce images that are not only technically superlative, but also memorable, having a significant impact on the observer.

The first section provides an overview of the basic concepts and methods of photography. The first chapter describes technical concepts of dental photography, such as light sources, angle of illumination, magnification, depth of field, and resolution. Chapter 2 discusses psychological and visual perception and how they relate to dental photography. Chapter 3 presents the armamentaria for analog and digital dental photography, explaining how a specific item fits into a given photographic setup to guide the clinician in deciding which options will best fit his or her needs.

The second section is divided into chapters covering various subjects of dental imaging, such as the natural dentition, prostheses, and periodontal and surgical procedures. These chapters detail basic setups for obtaining a desired image using either conventional or digital photography. For each technique, facing pages present a schematic illustration of the setup and the required equipment, hints and tips to achieve the desired result, and the expected image. (A key to the symbols used in the illustrations is provided on page x. For a more detailed explanation of the equipment listed, see chapter 3.) With this easy-to-use format, the reader can quickly locate the pages demonstrating how to take a specific type of photograph, assemble the setup, and expediently obtain the required photograph. It is important to remember, however, that the setups should not be viewed as inflexible; one is at liberty to, and in fact is encouraged to, experiment for the sake of creativity. It also should be noted that the illustrations are not intended to be to scale nor are they indicative of the actual distances between subjects and photographic equipment. Rather, the setups have been designed to illustrate the relative positioning of the different types of equipment to be used. The individual may judge the appropriate distances based on the circumstances and requirements of a particular photographic session.

In the final section, advice for handling finished images is offered. Archiving of conventional and digital images is discussed in chapter 11, and chapter 12 addresses editing and presenting images, including hints for the effective presentation of a sequence of images.

This manual was written for all dental practitioners, whether they are novices or experts in the realms of conventional and digital photography. The protocols presented will help those new to the field—whose prime objective is to record a clinical or laboratory procedure—choose the equipment and techniques appropriate to their needs and build confidence through successful results. For those with more experience, the useful hints provided will enhance results with particular techniques and help avoid pitfalls and disappointments.

I am grateful to Gerard Chiche and Avishai Sadan for their trust and inspiration, and to Bernard Touati and Nitzan Bichacho for giving me the opportunity to share my vision of dentistry with fellow colleagues. I am also indebted to many friends and colleagues, including Ann-Louise Holding, Karl Theis, Udo Schusser, Mike Joy, Ken McInnes, Magnus Persson, Robert Gotlander, Aled Llewelyn, Youval Elyat, Rafi Romano, Ilan Gilboa, Urvin and Orna Weiss, Rich Groves, Adina Cintron-Medina, Bob Muggleston, Steve Chu, Jason Kim, all the international ceramists with whom I have had the privilege to work, and to members of the European Academy of Esthetic Dentistry for believing in me and for their overwhelming moral support. Finally, I would like to extend a special thanks to Nigel Sadler for collaborating with me on certain chapters of this book; Sital Patel for being my muse and allowing me to capture her innate beauty on camera; my family for their blind faith; my dental nurse, Hina Halai, for enduring my idiosyncrasies; and, most importantly, the staff of Quintessence Publishing Company for bringing this project to fruition.

Irfan Ahmad, BDS
Private Practice
Middlesex, United Kingdom

REVIEWS

..."I believe this book would be an aid to any dentist with an interest in dental photography, as well as to any dentist teaching dentistry. It is a resource for answers to particular problems, and a guide for dentists looking to improve their images."
Reviewed by Lawrence Wolfgang, DDS
NYSDJ
June/July 2004

"The unique presentation of this book involves the reader from the outset in an incredible journey through the intricacies of Dental Photography. Covering both film and digital media, Dr.Ahmad leaves no stone unturned in explaining every aspect a practitioner could need to know...All-in-all this is an excellent reference for both the inexperienced and those who are already accomplished clinical photographers."
Reviewed by Dr. Jim Ironside