dental loupes

The importance of magnification is now understood by clinicians more than ever, and that is why these days, there's more buzz about the dental loupes and surgical loupes in the industry. Working with quality, custom equipment is a foundation for a successful and healthy clinical career. More often than not, the word 'ergonomic' has been tossed around as a misapplied concept. Products are considered ergonomic only when those products assist the user to work more safely. Since dentists fall in the category of health care providers, it is vital for them to keep up with advancements of tools and practices for the betterment of people's physical health.

Dental clinicians, just like other health care workers, work more days, longer hours, and having longer careers than they had expected. Such demographic changes in their careers have translated into elevated awareness of maintaining a neutral body posture while delivering care. Dental loupes were introduced to address the visual disclarity, and emphasis was on enhancing visual acuity. Still, the ergonomic benefits derived from using the right pair of loupes are understood now. Ergonomists recommend a posture that does not go beyond 20 degrees from neutral, making the proper declination angle vital.

Rooms designed for treatment also have a remarkable impact on the development of neck or shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. Traditional seating was such that it created longer reach, which would require a shallow declination angle. The neck, back, or lumbar postures go unsupported in such scenarios.

Geometric Conundrum

Huge patient chairs usually end up creating positioning challenges. This creates ergonomic challenges, especially when your loupes' declination angle is set to work with a narrow patient chair. Wide-body patient chairs enlarge the distance from the clinician to the patient. Hence your loupes declination angle may differ from your original measurement.

The same type of geometric problem can occur when transitioning from traditional operator seating to saddle stool. Saddle stools are lowered, which position clinicians closer to the patient and make the diagnosis a bit easier, but what about the rigid loupes? And in case you move to a new office where the treatment room is far different from what you worked in for the last couple of years, will your loupes keep up with these changes and, at the same time, support your musculoskeletal health? The answer to these questions is a definite yes, but first, let us examine measurement concerns.

Declination Angle Details

The declination angle is defined as the ocular (telescope) position concerning the loupe frame. Declination angle is every clinician's personal measurement, which allows them to view the oral cavity and keep their head in an upright position, maintaining a safe posture. Loupes that come with insufficient declination angle usually require the user to assume a more forward head position and more significant head tilt, which results in increased neck flexion.

TTL (Through-the-lens) loupes are the most popular type of dental loupes where oculars are mounted into the frame's carrier lens. The oculars are fixed in a position based on the user's declination angle, working distance, convergence point, and other such measurements.

Custom made loupes are considered the best dental loupes with supreme quality made using personal measurements as per the user's unique facial geometry.

A pair of customized loupes allow you to have a correct declination angle, which gives you a more upright posture, reducing neck flexion and minimizing a forward head position. Schultz loupes provide you high quality customized pair of dental loupes and dental headlight.

dental headlight

Innovation and Technology

With years of practice, the changing demographic landscape became a point of concern, that is when the concern of creating custom loupes arose which would accommodate different facial geometries and support potential changes in declination angles. This complex issue needed an innovative new frame design based on solutions.

Then emerged the unique frame built from the ground up to integrate and accommodate supreme quality oculars fully.

Final thoughts,

The constant use of digital devices has made neck and shoulder pain and injuries, two of the most common musculoskeletal disorders reported by dental hygienists. However, Dental loupes are considered a necessary practice tool that helps counteract dangerous clinical postures. And many clinicians even invest in an additional pair to make sure that they never practice a moment without this crucial piece of equipment.

Schultz dental loupes being the leading manufacturers of loupes for dentists, provides customized loupes to fit the situation. They will provide adaptability to you as a professional as your career evolves. Just getting the loupes is not the solution, but getting the right pair of loupes is!