Dentistry In High Magnification

In all phases of dentistry, the increased visual detail provided by high magnification reduces ambiguity in diagnosis and treatment decision-making, increases control in treatment implementation, allows a dentist to produce more ergonomic restorations that are less prone to recurrent decay, and arguably improves clinical outcomes compared to work performed with unaided vision. High magnification enhances a dentist’s ability to diagnose caries and cracks in teeth, distinguish between different colors intraorally, detect the interfaces between different surfaces and materials, detect microscopic interferences in fixed and removable metal frameworks, adjust occlusal prematurities, and polish restorations.There are several general reasons why high-powered magnification provides more clinically relevant visual information to general dentists than unaided vision.
High magnification improves a dentist’s ability to differentiate between subtle shades of color intraorally, which is important when diagnosing and treating dental pathology.Magnification allows dentists performing endodontic procedures to better identify anatomical landmarks within the pulp chamber—including the sides, overhanging walls that are remnants of the pulp chamber roof, and initial perforations into the pulp—and to differentiate between the pulp horns and the main body of pulp within the chamber. Magnification aids in locating the mesiobuccal-2 canal and other accessory canals of maxillary molars.High levels of magnification increase the aggregate amount of visual information available to dentists for diagnosing and treating dental pathology, which may allow dentists to develop ways of solving a given dental problem that differ from those used by dentists who use unaided vision. Dentists who use high magnification may be able to develop expertise at an accelerated rate. Dentists who use high magnification may diagnose and treat dental pathology with greater complexity and are more likely to be certain about the causes of a patient’s symptoms, compared to dentists who use unaided vision.