When you go to dentist, these odd-looking tools may cause patients some anxiety, but the intraoral camera is nothing to be nervous about. An intraoral camera is a tool your dentist uses to examine your mouth in as detailed a way as possible. Using a dental intraoral camera is a state of the art dental technical device that really helps you see for yourself exactly what is happening in your mouth.

The dental equipment, which may look like an oversized pen, has a camera that takes high-resolution footage or images of a patient’s mouth and shows the visuals real-time on a monitor—they’re like high-tech versions of the hand mirrors you see in your dentist’s practice.

It is with LED lighting, a head that rotates from 0 to 90 degrees, and powerful magnifying capabilities (some cameras can zoom in up to 100x), your dentist can examine your mouth in extreme detail. This means he or she can make diagnoses more accurately.

When your dentist uses an intraoral camera during your examination, however, you’re seeing exactly what he or she sees right then. The office can attach these photos to your health record to make tracking any changes simple. Additionally, because the visuals from the intraoral camera appear on the monitor as they’re taken, dentists can display clear, colorful images, allowing them to point out any issues and discuss them with you immediately. You’ll certainly learn a lot about your mouth! And the more you see and understand, the more confident you can be when making treatment decisions.

The intraoral cameras designed for use in dental facilities come with disposable probes or probe covers to ensure that germs are not passed between patients, and they may come with a variety of options which enhance the functionality of the camera. Versions designed for home use are usually much more basic, but they can still be useful for people who want to see the inside of the mouth.