How to photograph a case for your dental lab
A few consistent photos tell a dental lab what a scan cannot. Here is the set to take, how to take a shade photo, and how to send them with the case.
By the Tusko team
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A scan gives the lab the shape of a tooth. A photo gives it the colour, the surface, and how the teeth sit in the patient’s face.
A handful of consistent photos can save a round of questions and a remake. They take a few minutes once the routine is set.
This guide covers which photos to take, how to take a shade photo the lab can use, and how to send them with the case.
What a photo tells the lab
A technician working from a scan alone is working without the patient. Photos put the patient back.
Five things a photo tells the lab
A checklist of five things a photo tells a dental lab: the shade, the translucency, the surface, the neighbouring teeth and the face.
- ShadeThe colour against a known tab, in the same light
- TranslucencyHow much light the edge of the tooth lets through
- SurfaceTexture, lustre, and marks such as white spots or craze lines
- The neighboursWhat the new tooth has to sit beside
- The faceThe smile line, the lips and the midline
The first four matter for any tooth that shows. The fifth matters for veneers, dentures and larger cases.
The standard set
Agree a set with your lab and take it the same way every time.
| Photo | What it shows the lab |
|---|---|
| Full face, natural smile | The smile line, and the teeth against the face |
| Full face, lips at rest | How much tooth shows at rest |
| Profile | Lip support, and the angle of the front teeth |
| Close-up smile, lips in frame | How the edges of the teeth follow the lower lip |
| Retracted front view | Shape, proportion, gum levels and the midline |
| Retracted side views, left and right | The bite from each side |
| Upper and lower from above, in a mirror | Arch form and the biting surfaces |
| Shade photo | The tab beside the tooth |
| Stump shade photo | The colour of the prepared tooth |
Nine photos is the full set. Few cases need all nine.
What to take for which case
| Case | Photos to send |
|---|---|
| Single crown on a back tooth | Shade photo |
| Single crown on a front tooth | Shade, stump shade, retracted front, close-up smile |
| Veneers or a smile trial | The full set |
| Bridge in the smile line | Shade, stump shade, retracted front and sides, close-up smile |
| Denture | Full face, profile, and the existing denture in place |
Treat the table as a starting point. Your lab may ask for more, or for something different.
A single front tooth has to match the one beside it. Give it the most care.
What you need
A dedicated camera with a macro lens and a ring or twin flash gives the most repeatable results. Its settings stay the same from one patient to the next.
A recent phone can work if the light is steady. Send a test set and ask the lab whether it can read the shade from it.
The accessories matter as much as the camera.
- Cheek retractors, in two sizes
- Mirrors for the views from above and the side
- A black background card to slide behind the front teeth
- The shade guide your lab uses
- A neutral bib to cover bright clothing
Keep it all in one kit, charged and ready. A camera that has to be found does not get used.
Warm the mirror, or blow air across it, so it does not fog.
How to take a shade photo
The lab reads the shade from this photo. Take it the same way every time.
- Take it first. Do it before the tooth is isolated or prepared. Teeth lighten as they dry.
- Clean the tooth. Remove plaque and stain, and ask the patient to remove lipstick.
- Pick the closest tab, and the next closest. Two tabs show the lab which way the tooth leans.
- Hold the tab edge to edge with the tooth. Keep it in the same plane, the same distance from the lens.
- Keep the tab’s code in the frame. A tab the lab cannot identify is no use.
- Angle the camera slightly. A flash fired straight at the tooth leaves a glare that hides the colour.
- Check the photo before you move on. It should be sharp, with the tooth and the tab both in focus.
Use the shade guide your lab works from. A tab from another system has to be translated, and something is lost.
The stump shade
After preparation, photograph the prepared tooth beside a stump shade tab.
Translucent ceramics let some of the colour beneath them show. A dark preparation changes how the finished crown looks.
The lab can only allow for it if it knows. Write the stump shade on the Rx as well.
Shade communication with your dental lab covers what else to write, and when a custom shade visit is worth it.
Common mistakes, and the fix
| What went wrong | What the lab sees | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The tab’s code is out of frame | A tab it cannot identify | Hold the tab so the code faces the lens |
| The tab sits in front of the tooth | A tab brighter than the tooth | Hold them edge to edge, in one plane |
| The tooth dried out first | A tooth lighter than it is | Take the shade photo at the start |
| Flash glare on the tooth | A white patch where the colour should be | Angle the camera a little |
| Lips or cheeks in the way | Half a tooth | Retract fully, and ask for help |
| The mirror fogged | A grey blur | Warm it first |
| The photo was shrunk when sent | Detail the lab cannot recover | Send the original file |
| Different light each time | Shades that cannot be compared | Same camera, same settings, same room |
The last row is the quiet one. A lab learns to read your photos, and it can only do that if they are consistent.
Ask the lab for feedback on your first few sets. One conversation can fix a habit for good.
Name the files and send them with the case
A photo that arrives without a case attached has to be matched by hand.
Send photos with the Rx, at the same time as the scans. Photos that follow a day later can miss the start of the work.
Name each file by what it shows. “Shade A2 and A3, tooth 11” tells the technician what to look for.
Say on the Rx which photos you sent, and what you want the lab to notice.
Send the original files. Screenshots and photos passed through a messaging app can lose detail.
Privacy and consent
Clinical photos are part of the patient’s record. Handle them like the rest of it.
- Tell the patient the photos will go to the lab, and record their consent as your regulator expects
- Send a full-face photo only when the case needs one
- Move photos off the camera or phone once they are filed, and delete the copies
- Ask for separate consent before any photo is used for teaching or marketing
A photo on a personal phone is patient information outside your systems. PIPEDA and dental software explains why that matters.
Make it routine
Photos get skipped when they depend on one person remembering.
- Give the job a name. An assistant can take the set while the dentist reviews the plan.
- Fix the moment. The shade photo comes at the start of every crown visit, before anything else.
- Post the set. A card by the camera lists each view in order.
- Check before the patient leaves. A blurred photo found the next day cannot be retaken.
Train a second person. The routine should survive a holiday.
Review a few cases with your lab every few months. Ask which photos helped and which it never opened.
Where the photos go
Photos do the most good when they sit beside the Rx and the scan. A technician should not have to search an inbox for them.
On Tusko, the photos, the scans and the messages stay on the same case. See how it looks for practices.
For a full front-tooth case, read what to put on a crown Rx and how practices use smile trials.
Can I use a phone to photograph a case for the lab?
A recent phone can work for many cases if the lighting is steady and the photo is sent at full size. Ask your lab what it can work with, and send a test set before you rely on it.
Does a back tooth need photos?
A shade photo is useful for any tooth. The fuller set matters for teeth that show when the patient smiles, where shape and colour are judged against the face.
When should the shade photo be taken?
At the start of the visit, before the tooth is isolated or prepared. Teeth lighten as they dry, so a photo taken late records a shade the tooth will not keep.
Can photos be sent to the lab by text message?
Messaging apps can shrink photos, and they leave patient information on a personal phone. Send the original files with the Rx, through whatever your practice uses for patient records.
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