Charlie Ward, DDS

In this article, I’ll share how I save my Dental DSLR photos and choose between the file formats of RAW versus JPEG. There are specific reasons why we might need one format or the other, or perhaps both. I’ll also share how I store and protect my ever-growing collection of images. 

The Difference Between RAW and JPEG Format 

We have a choice when we’re shooting with our DSLR about how we want to save our files. On the menu of our camera, we see that we can choose between RAW and JPEG, and the quality of JPEG. When RAW is selected, all data that hits the camera sensor is saved. A JPEG is a processed image resulting in a compressed (smaller) file size.  

The data stored in RAW images can be 3 to 4 times more than in JPEG images, depending on the quality of JPEG you select on the camera menu. The processor in your DSLR camera will remove data from a JPEG image that it perceives to be imperceptible to the human eye. The greatly smaller size of JPEGS makes them universally preferred, not only for storage but for quick upload, download, and opening for viewing online. I routinely shoot high-quality JPEGs for diagnostics and routine lab communication.  

(If you are wondering what JPEG stands for, it’s for Joint Photographic Experts Group. Once JPEG images are in your computer, they can be saved as different file formats ending in different extensions such as .eps, .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .tif, and .tiff.) 

If I take an image in both RAW and JPEG format, at first glance, the JPEG and RAW images may look the same, but on closer inspection, I may see that the stain on a tooth’s enamel or surrounding skin tones appear lighter in the RAW image. The camera itself has processed the image and determined that some of that data is unnecessary.  

When to Shoot RAW Images 

For most of what dentists do with our DSLR cameras, JPEGS are fine. There are three situations when we should choose to shoot RAW images. 

1. When we want to edit images like a professional photographer. 

1. When we shoot images for accreditation for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. The Academy requires images in raw format so they can tell that the images have not been edited.  

1. When we are using a digital shade matching system like eLab or Matisse that requires RAW input. 

Why Shoot Both Versions When You Want RAW 

If you are storing CBCT and RAW images on your server, a lot of data can accumulate quickly. I shoot JPEG versions of the images I shoot in RAW format so I can delete the RAW files from my server when they are no longer needed and still have a case record with the JPEG files. 

Storage Tip: In my practice, we download the patient’s or the day’s images from the SD card on to our server in a patient folder. We have one main folder and within it a subfolder for each letter of the alphabet. Inside each alphabet letter’s folder is another subfolder labeled with the patient’s name for each patient whose last name begins with that alphabet letter. Inside each patient’s folder are appropriate subfolders, labeled for example, “Name-Prep-Date.” 

Trying to match the color of the cement between the abutment and the dental implant crown in the anterior can be very frustrating. Here’s a trick that works well for me. 

A while back I was struggling to match the color of the cement between the abutment and an anterior implant crown. I always try-in the abutment and the crown and try to confirm the shade before they are put together. We do this because the laboratory can’t redo the shade once they’ve bonded the crown and the abutment for screw retention without trying to separate the cement, which is difficult. 

Over the years, it was a challenge to replicate the opacity of the cement used to connect the titanium abutment and ceramic crown. I’ve tried using some of the opaquest try-in paste on the market. 

In the case I referred to above, we thought we had it. My lab cemented it together and I put it in. I could see the opacity of the cement through the restoration. So, we had to take it apart and try again. My laboratory technician shared with me a trick that he had learned from one of his other dentist clients. And that was to simply go to CVS, Costco, or Target and buy good old fashioned liquid white out.  

Now, I put a very tiny amount of whiteout on a micro brush and paint it on the inside of the labial surface of the crown on the intaglio surface. Then, I use a bit of translucent try-in paste to seat the crown. 

The whiteout works well because it is basically titanium dioxide and water with preservatives—the same white compound that is in super white sunscreens. In my opinion, it is relatively safe to use, and I can see what the implant will look like when the pieces are cemented together. 

I had a patient in a provisional on tooth #7, and he called to tell me he ate the crown. When he came in, I checked his occlusal marks in MIP, and there was a nice coupling with the opposing tooth. He was not hitting the tooth at all in protrusive, in right and left, and in crossover. He had not used floss and had not chewed on something sticky that would pull the provisional off. So, I put articulating paper between his teeth and used my iPhone to video him as he chewed like he was chewing food. What I discovered in the video is that he had a functional interference. He had broad strokes on the provisional whenever he was in his chew stroke.

I sent the video to the lab with the hope that the new information could be used to make a crown that would protect the tooth from breaking or becoming loose. This patient was adamant about not wanting orthodontics. I was able to show him why equilibrating his opposing tooth would be beneficial and he accepted equilibration.

Having run into this problem once, I am now checking for functional interferences with more patients by having them do “the chew test.”