Communicate with the Lab...via Videos and Photos!

Use Your Phone to Communicate With The Lab About Dentures... and Not By Dialing Our Number.


How many times have you done a denture wax try-in that just was not how you or the patient wanted it? How do you go about communicating this to the laboratory? 
Often, it is difficult to describe or just takes too many words on a prescription.  As many of you know, I am an advocate of using clinical photography for most of my cases.  With dentures, it’s unusual to get clinical photography at the laboratory.  Honestly, a picture is truly worth a thousand words for try-in evaluation.  Our technicians are quite adept at studying a photograph and appreciating changes that should be implemented.  



Your phones are typically in a convenient pocket so why not whip them out and get some photography?



This patient was very concerned not to show so much lower incisor, however, she did not want a great deal of upper incisor to reveal either.  The photographs aided this case. The technician immediately knew that he would have to close vertical to achieve the desired result.



This photography communicates the canted occlusal plane and the midline being off significantly. These two photos help the technician to understand what is necessary to gain the desired result.


If your patient has speech concerns or there is just something not quite right about the entire setup, take a video!  


These videos are quick and easy.  Find a comfortable distance from the patient that shows their entire face in the frame.  Start on one side in profile, and slowly pan around the patient to the opposite side.  Do this a couple of times with the patient smiling and at rest.  Then do it again with the patient speaking.
These videos are very helpful when evaluating potential changes to improve the patient’s final result.  Speech can be evaluated, lip support under function is revealed and the overall esthetics can be assessed.




This patient is in planning process for having upper and lower all on four treatment.  She was edentulous so it was imperative that we develop a proper denture set-up prior to her all on four surgery.  These videos are an example of clinical videos shot with cell phone.


As practice owners, we're always looking for ways to promote our practice.  Happy patients are certainly a great source for referrals.  Still photographs are great for hanging on our office walls or creating photo albums.  I highly recommend this.  Patients can always read magazines but in your office they should be looking at things dentally related.  Why not give them a chance to see what your office is capable of?  This is valuable for any procedure that you perform, even dentures!
Finally, what about patient videos from happy patients?  A satisfied patient video can be a real statement for your office.  I think this is especially true with denture patients who can be difficult to please.  


What a great opportunity to show the results your office is capable of delivering!


This patient had never worn a lower denture and her old upper was worn and not very esthetic.  This unscripted video of her postop visit is priceless.   (And she is a TarHeel!)


Hopefully I have convinced you to take a few minutes with your edentulous patients to record some still photographs as well as some video footage.  You may choose to do this during case work-ups as well as at wax try-ins.  I do believe it will be of benefit to you, the lab technician, and your patient in the end!


Till next time,
Larry

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