I am not sure where it came from, but I've always loved the art of cosmetic dentistry. I have learned that one of the fundamental keys to success in this field is to master dental photography.
I had no plans to become a dentist when I grew up in Smithtown, Long Island, and tried playing pro soccer after earning my B.S. at Cornell, but I gave up. My dad wanted to encourage me to go back to school, so he insisted I take a job as a garbage collector for a year, which was a motivator.
A friend was studying at the NYU College of Dentistry, and he convinced me to apply. I immediately discovered that I loved the cosmetic aspect of dentistry, helping classmates glaze their crowns because I had a good eye for color. I graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook in 2002, did my residency there (including being chief resident for an additional year), then began working in a fee-for-service practice, Huntington Bay Dental, in Huntington, NY 2004.
In 2007, I went to my first meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and I thought, "Wow, I want to do dentistry like that because my patients deserve it." I became accredited in 2011, have overseen the AACD's accreditation process for the past five years, and am one of just 90 dentists worldwide to achieve the Accredited Fellow status. I am now president-elect and a certified missionary about the value for patients and practices of mastering cosmetic dentistry.
Unfortunately, only about five percent of dentists are really devoted to developing the skills to be able to deliver that level of excellence. I started out working six days a week at my practice, and now I work 12 hours on Mondays and Tuesdays and nine on Wednesdays, mostly doing not just the most complex cosmetic cases but also full mouth reconstructions. I fly out to teach classes or attend conferences on Wednesday night or Thursday morning (I am booked into 2025. Email me if you want to know my schedule).
WHY YOU SHOULD WANT TO DEVELOP YOUR DENTAL PHOTO SKILLS
There are many reasons to become an excellent cosmetic dentist who is an expert in dental photography. Many dentists are not aware of just how important visual social media can be to brand yourself as a top specialist; it brings in patients from other parts of North America and even the rest of the world (about 15% of my patients now come from outside a 100-mile radius from the practice). Instagram and Facebook, especially, provide an opportunity to showcase your work and brand.
Second, great photography enables you to document your work to protect yourself from patients who blame you for what they think was a mistake you made. I recently had one man come in screaming that I had chipped one of his teeth. Another claimed he did not have gum recession before cleaning was done. I showed them the scans I had done before the work began. With photographic documentation, you never have to worry about inaccurate criticisms or potential lawsuits.
Third, you should put all your communications with specialists and dental labs involved in a case into an email with instructions and photos with lines and arrows, so there cannot be any dispute about what needs to be done; this prevents all of us from not only misunderstandings but enables us to see what the others may not. It also means that I don't need to coordinate a phone call with, say, a lab technician in Europe.
How to become a dental photography expert? I do not believe in simply accepting the settings that a camera company pre-sets to take intraoral or extraoral pictures. Each situation is different, the lighting needed is different, each patient is different, and you need to know how to adjust the settings to create exceptional photos. You should start with understanding the camera basics from the manual and then take a hands-on course to create great cosmetic art (we offer a six-course curriculum in Charleston, S.C., and many others are available).
Working with the MicroDental network is a delight because of their expertise at every level. If you are trying to develop a relationship with a new laboratory, be sure to talk to the manager or the head ceramist to be sure their standards and skills are aligned with what you need and how they will communicate. I worked with a South Korean ceramist for 12 years who barely spoke English, and I do not understand Korean, but our values were so identical that we had a very successful relationship.
Becoming an expert in dental photography will also help you convince patients that they should work with you to transform their smiles. However, I always encourage mine to get a second opinion. Most cosmetic dentists will give them just a one-page proposal, but mine are five pages with photos showing their current condition and how they will look when we finish. If you would like to know more about how to develop your practice photography skills, I would refer you to this article.
About the Author
Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a State University of New York graduate of Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Adamo was accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 2012 and received his Fellowship in 2018. He is the only Accredited Fellow in New York State and the 80th person worldwide to achieve this honor. In 2016, Dr. Adamo was awarded the AACD's Rising Star Award and was recently appointed Accreditation Chairman of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Dr. Adamo is a graduate of the Kois Center, where he studied under Dr. John Kois and has also completed The Dawson Academy Core Curriculum. He has received his Fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologist and has been published in multiple dental journals and lectures nationally and internationally on such topics as CAD/CAM dentistry, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and dental photography. Dr. Adamo also volunteers at the NYU College of Dentistry as a Clinical Instructor in the Honors Aesthetics Program.