6 Important factors to check out when purchasing dental loupes
Dental loupes play a critical part in the success of any dental procedure that you will perform. They have been proven to offer a wide range of benefits both to the dentists and the patients. However, you can only reap the many benefits the dental loupes offer if you are able to find the one that best fits you. Here are a few important factors that you need to consider when purchasing a new loupe.
Using the right dental loupes is critical to the success of any dental procedure that you will perform. They help improve clinical results by allowing you to have better visualization of the oral cavity. With a better visual acuity, your precision when it comes to judgment or diagnosis, treatment, and overall performance is likewise being enhanced.
However, you can only reap the many benefits the dental loupes offer if you are able to find the one that best fits you. But how can you be able to find the right pair for you? Here are a few important factors that you need to consider when purchasing a new loupe.
Magnification Power
Proper magnification is becoming a standard in dentistry. Dental magnification can range from 2.0x to 6.0x. To know which magnification power to choose, you need to determine first how you are going to use the dental hygiene loupes.
Each of the dental procedures has specific magnification requirement. For instance, general dental care procedures require minimal magnification only. Whilst, intricate procedures that require more focus will need higher magnification power.
Working Distance
Working distance is the distance between you and the operating field. The right working distance will allow you to work in an upright, healthy, and neutral posture while still having a good visual acuity. It likewise promotes healthy posture and helps reduce your risk to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.
Working distance can vary from one person to another. It is important that you know your working distance when buying a new dental loupe. To get your working distance, sit down or stand up in a comfortable and upright position, with your head tilt downwards at around 25 degrees, and then measure the distance between the upper bridge of your nose and the mouth of your patient.
Prescription Glasses
Dental loupes for sale do not come with an accurate prescription. If you are wearing prescription glasses, make sure to let the loupe manufacturer about it. You can choose to use contact lenses or have your prescription added to your new loupes.
Declination Angle
The declination angle has something to do with how much you need to tilt your head downward. The steeper the declination angle is, the better. This means that you only have to tilt your head a little bit to see the operating field. The ideal angle of declination is 25 degrees.
Weight
Weight has been a major deciding factor when it comes to choosing the best dental loupes. Weight can build up over time most especially if you use the loupes for extended periods of time. When the weight starts to build up, it can affect your focus and comfort, thus affecting the quality of your performance as well. It can as well cause neck and shoulder pain. As much as possible, opt for the loupe that has the lightest weight.
Interpupillary Distance
The interpupillary distance or PD is quite subjective. It is the distance between centers of the pupils of your two eyes. It is measured in millimeters (mm). PD is critical for correct positioning of the TTL loupes. You can seek help from an optician to know the exact measurement of your PD.
Aside from the above-mentioned factors, you also need to consider the loupe's field of view, depth of field, frame, design, resolution, and quality of optics. You also need to decide whether you will pick through the lens loupes or flip-up loupes.
