Cleaning Dental Photography Mirrors

June 24, 2020 Lee Ann Brady DMD

It can be very frustrating to take a series of dental photos only to realize there were scratches or watermarks on the mirrors when you review the images later on a computer. Cleaning mirrors without damaging them can be a challenge.

I happen to like the [chromium or titanium] coated buccal, lingual, occlusal and anterior contact Intraoral Handle Mirrors from PhotoMed®. These feature a stainless steel handle that keeps fingertips out of the photograph. And, if your patient is cooperative, they can hold the mirror to free up your assistant. All of the handle mirrors from PhotoMed are single-sided, autoclavable, and can be cold sterilized.

In my practice, we try to protect our mirrors as much as possible from scratches, because once they happen, there is nothing you can do about it. Watermarks, on the other hand, can be eliminated and also cleaned away.

To avoid watermarks, we always wrap our mirrors in a paper towel before putting them in the autoclave bag. To clean away fingerprints and water spots, we use premoistened lens cleaning wipes that are designed for cleaning eyeglasses. They can be purchased in bulk, and we find them economical, efficient, and effective in cleaning our intraoral mirrors for crisp intraoral photo images. We keep a box in every operatory, where they do double duty in cleaning our eyeglasses and loupes.

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About Author

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Lee Ann Brady DMD

Dr. Lee Ann Brady is passionate about dentistry, her family and making a difference. She is a general dentist and owns a practice in Glendale, AZ limited to restorative dentistry. Lee’s passion for dental education began as a CE junkie herself, pursuing lots of advanced continuing education focused on Restorative and Occlusion. In 2005, she became a full time resident faculty member for The Pankey Institute, and was promoted to Clinical Director in 2006. Lee joined Spear Education as Executive VP of Education in the fall of 2008 to teach and coordinate the educational curriculum. In June of 2011, she left Spear Education, founded leeannbrady.com and joined the dental practice she now owns as an associate. Today, she teaches at dental meetings and study clubs both nationally and internationally, continues to write for dental journals and her website, sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry, Inside Dentistry and DentalTown Magazines and is the Director of Education for The Pankey Institute.

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