
Dental loupes are magnifying glasses that help dentists see through the patient’s mouth clearly.
It enlarges everything in the field of view of a dentist and allows them to observe oral health problems with a better vision.
Moreover, they also help in keeping the dentist’s physiologic posture.
This prevents the slouching that dentists develop while carrying out procedures.
These are now a staple tool for most dentists.
This article discusses the need for dental magnifying glasses, their need and considerations before buying.
Let’s know more about this below.
What are Dental Loupes?
Before examining your teeth, the dentist will wear a few medical items for your safety and an efficient procedure.
They will wear dental gloves, face mask, and also these magnifying glasses are known as loupes to see clearly.
Thus, dentists get a wide view of the mouth which is full and expanded.
After all, it is hard to look into every part of the mouth clearly.
While a dentist will use a dental mouth mirror, they will also require the loupes to have an appropriate vision.
Moreover, their technique is not compromised because it relieves eye and back strain for the dentist.
This is one way to provide better treatment to your patients.
But how do they work?
These loupes magnify up to 2 to 8 times larger than the human eye.
This is the ideal range for allowing dentists to practice a procedure without distorting the image that is in focus.
Not only does it enlarge the view for optimized visualization, it also has lights.
The high-quality lights enable precise work so that nothing is overlooked and missed in the dark oral cavity.
Besides providing a clearer view, the illumination helps to detect gum pockets, plaque buildup in between teeth, and tiny fractures.
It will be hard to detect these from the naked eye.
Hence, using the loupes helps in diagnosing issues like periodontal disease timely.
Similarly, it can identify other smaller-looking problems before it gets bigger.
These allow dentists to reach accurate diagnoses and carry out proper treatment.
Hence, there are several benefits of magnifying glasses in dental procedures. Let’s find out more below.
Why Should You Use Dental Loupes?
Ocular Fatigue Reduction
Dentists carry out X-rays but physical examination is one of the main ways of detecting oral health problems.
It is the first step in any dental visit hence, dentists end up making a lot of visual effort to correctly see the pathologies of patients.
Here using the loupes helps to reduce the strain on the eyes and relaxes the eyes.
Moreover, improves visibility during the procedure.
Increased visibility of patient’s oral cavity
When the dentist can clearly see the patient’s oral cavity, they can diagnose the condition better and also increase customer satisfaction.
The finishing touches are accurate therefore, the results are better too.
The magnified view of the mouth enables the dentist to be efficient, accurate and detailed.
They can precisely carry out examinations, add fillings and perform other procedures with accuracy.
Helping with Posture and Ergonomics
Several dentists suffer from back and neck pain.
Poor posture can be detrimental to health resulting in strains and muscular ailments.
Using the magnifying lens prevents dentists from bending further.
They can remain in an upright seated position while performing the procedures.
When the dentist maintains proper posture they can also effectively meet your needs.
Credibility, Trust and Better Results
Using loupes allows the dentist to match filling colors for dental restoration.
It allows for carefully sculpting repairs and reconstructing to achieve a perfect result.
Moreover, when you wear magnifying glasses, it leaves a professional image on the patient increasing their trust in your work.
Magnifying Glasses Types
The differences in the glasses and lens come from their grip, design, magnification needs and adaptability.
In general dentistry and implantology, magnification around 2.5X and 3,5X is enough.
However, for surgery work, laboratory uses, periodontics and endodontics, dentists will need a higher magnification.
Hence, this type of magnifying glass will have magnification around 3.5X and 5.5X.
Besides these, the common types of dental loupes include:
- Adaptable Dental Loupes
As the name suggests, these are adaptable loupes that the dentist can use with or without glasses.
In fact, these can be clip-on without or with using frames.
They are advantageous in being cheaper and adaptable for the user in anatomy.
- Head Mounted
The head-mounted magnifying glass has interchangeable lenses, adjustable in diameter and visor type.
Moreover, it is lightweight and also practical.
- Lighted dental loupe
These have a built-in LED light whenever the dentist wants to illuminate their field of work.
It s effective in places where there is greater depth and reduced space.
It allows them to see the oral cavity clearly in areas where magnifying the image alone may not be useful.
While selecting the loupe with a light, check for its quality, type of light and time of use without recharging.
- Binocular Loupes with Mount
These loupes are embedded in glass lenses.
Hence, they will be custom-made according to the eyesight of the dentist.
Keeping these vision parameters in consideration, they become much more expensive than the other options.
However, these are lighter in weight.
So the advantage lies in them being easy to wear and customizable to fit your specific vision requirements.
Thus, there are several types that you can choose from in your practice.
Besides knowing what type suits your needs, there are other considerations to be mindful of.
Consideration While Selecting
Field of Vision
The field of vision for a dentist should be wide enough.
It directly relates to the loupe’s diameter, its magnification power and optical design.
This way it is faster and easier to treat a patient.
Depth of Field
This represents how much can the glass tilt and move while also maintaining the focus of the field of view.
It is the range of focus that the loupe delivers.
Like the field of vision, it also depends on other factors such as:
- Optical design
- Visual fatigue
- Illumination
- The eye’s ability to focus without much effort
- Magnifying power
Lens Quality
To analyze the quality of a lens, see an object with straight black lines.
A poor quality lens will have a lower resolution of the object.
The observation of clear, straight black lines is not the identifier of a poor lens.
Light Transmission
Having an optimized light transmission suggests that there is less light.
Check if the loupes you choose reduce eye strain and minimize the bright light exposure on patients.
Hence, assuring that the patient has a good experience in your dental clinic.
Focus on the Amplification and Magnification
Defining magnification, it is the ratio of the size of the image to the object.
It becomes a fucntion of the characteristic of the object and the distance to the object.
Having the correct magnification allows the dentist to work more comfortably and reduce fatigue plus eye and back strain.
However, it is also equally important for patients as the dentists can see the details more clearly, they can identify patholigues better and treat the patients in the best way possible.
While choosing types of magnifying glasses, it is also important to keep your height in consideration.
After all, that impacts how you will use it.
Maintenance of Dental Loupes
Before we head into how to maintain the loupes, let’s talk a little more about the working distance and dentist’s height.
The working distance is from the dentist’s eyes to the patient’s mouth.
Hence, it is important to maintain a posture that allows working with ease as well as reduces pressure on eyes and avoids pain in the back.
The height of the dentista and the way they work impact the working distance.
Thus, if your height is taller than 1.9 m the sitting distance wil be 50 cm and standing distance will be 55 cm.
If it is between 1.7 m and 1.9 m the sitting distance is 42 cm and standing distance is 50 cm.
Similarly if you are less than 1.7 m tall the sitting distance is 34 cm while the standing distance is 42 cm.
One other consideration while buying the loupes is its maintenance which includes the material.
The material should not deteriorate with water.
Moreover, you should maintain its quality by cleaning and keeping it well.
For instance, use a paper towel or small disposable wipe to clean it with 70 alcohol or water.
Never immerse it in water or any other abrasive liquid product.
Using the wipe, clean the frame, binoculars, holders and the rest of the parts.
Clean the lens gently using a cotton or chimose cloth.
Moreover, use a lens cleaner to wipe it clean.
You can also use protective screens to get additional protection from splashes.
Cleanse using the whole procedure again after every patient.
Finally,
Dental loupes are an essential medical equipment for dentists.
However, not every dentists uses it and runs into back, neck and eye fatigue.
Thus, consider getting it for your practice to provide effective treatments and maximum customer satisfaction to all of the patients.
You can also check out other other dental equipment at our shop here.