Photography and cephalometry in daily orthodontic practice

Abstract

1. 1. Orthodontists should be concerned with two types of photography: 1.1. a. Close-up pictures of the mouth known as intraoral photography. 1.2. b. Distant pictures of the face known as full-face photography. 2. 2. The miniature camera is preferably the camera of choice: 2.1. a. Its small size lends itself advantageously to unit construction for intraoral photography. 2.2. b. Elimination of ground-glass focusing by the use of supplementary lenses makes it automatic and timesaving. 2.3. c. Can be easily added to the cephalometer for full-face photography, thereby making these pictures standardized and directly comparable. 3. 3. The cephalometer alone is a valuable instrument for daily use in the appraisal of patients. 4. 4. Three x-ray pictures should be taken of all new patients: (a) “freeway” view; (b) “open-bite” view; (c) “centric” view. 5. 5. In making appraisals compare the individual to a normal range and not a mean. 6. 6. Do not use only the tracings as an aid to orthodontic treatment; use them in conjunction with model, dental films, growth studies, and so forth.