Why is magnification in dentistry important?

Magnification in dentistry is critical to great care. The higher the magnification the greater the visual acuity and even if we actually work at a lower magnification viewing the higher magnification helps.

Magnification in general dentistry

You can’t treat, diagnose, or understand what you can’t see!   More magnification makes almost everything done in dentistry better.  In this post I show the research into what exactly we improve with dental magnification.  Some aspects of dentistry are much more dependent on magnification than others, for instance endodontics is very reliant on increased magnification.  Some aspects of dentistry are actually performed at a lower magnification than the operator has access to, but the higher magnification improves the operators visual acuity.

When talking magnification in dentistry we are generally talking about one of two things.  Dental loupes are worn as glasses and have a fixed range from 2.5-8x, while a dental microscope is an actual microscope placed on an operating arm over the patient and has multiple magnifications in the ranges from 2-40x.  Having a microscope is not common-place in most phases of dentistry today, endodontics being the exception, but more and more are using.   Most dentists today will use eyeglass (dental loupe) magnification with ranges of 2.5-8x.  I personally have used 2.5x, 3.5x, 4.5x, and currently use 6.0x and 8.0x.

Magnification in Orthodontics

• Improvements at debonding – more precise removal=less bonding left behind and less enamel damage Baumann 2011 J Orofacial Ortho

Magnification in Endodontics

• Huge improvement in finding small canals of teeth needing root canals.  MB2 canals are located 71% with microscopes 4x-30x, 63% with dental loupes 2x-6x, and only 17% without.
• It is my personal belief that we do not see a significant increase in percentages of canals we can find after 4.5x.  This may agree with the above study as the small difference may be accounted for by both using 2x and 3.5x and the fact the light on the scope is 2-3x as bright.  Light also helps in location of canals. Buhrley 2002 JOE

Surgical dental microscopes comparisons

The website dental compare has a list of specs for many scopes. I like the conversation, although short, about scopes on the endolit app as well, search Shaindy Treff post from 06/2018. Use Flexion by CJ-Optik. Global microscope is local and has good service department, recommendation of local lecturer.

A list of dental microscopes

Carl Zeiss Meditec – Global A solid

Global Surgical

Leica Microsystems

Magnified Video Devices

Microsurgery Instruments

Seiler Medical Division – cheaper and effective

Battery for your dental loupes