There's a moment in a lot of dental visits where the dentist says "you've got a cracked filling here" or "this one's starting to decay" — and you just have to trust them, because you can't see your own back teeth. We like to do it differently. At our Kentfield office, Dr. Soroush Ghaffarpour ("Dr. G") uses a small intraoral camera to take a clear, magnified photo of the exact tooth we're talking about and put it on a screen in front of you. It's a simple thing, but it can change the whole conversation: you're not just being told what's going on, you're being shown. That kind of transparency is a big part of how we build trust with our Marin patients.
What is an intraoral camera?
An intraoral camera is a tiny wand-shaped camera, about the size of a pen, with a light on the tip. Dr. G or your hygienist gently moves it around inside your mouth, and it sends a live, close-up image of each tooth to a screen you can see from the chair. There's nothing to bite on, and it's designed to be comfortable — it's just a small camera taking pictures.
What makes it useful is the magnification. A cracked filling, a hairline fracture, early staining, a bit of gum inflammation, or the start of a cavity can be hard to spot with the naked eye — and impossible for you to see at all on your own back teeth. Blown up on a screen, those things often become much clearer. We can freeze the image, zoom in, and walk through it with you so that when we recommend a treatment, you can see for yourself why.
The old way vs. the way we do it
For decades the standard was simple: the dentist looked, the dentist explained, and you trusted the dentist — because you had no easy way to see it yourself.
The traditional way
- The dentist examines a tooth you can't see and describes what's wrong — you take it largely on faith, with nothing to look at.
- "You'll need a crown here" is often the whole explanation, which can leave patients wishing they understood more about the why.
- Findings are written into the chart, but there's no clear before-and-after picture of the problem in your own mouth.
- Insurance claims and second opinions often rest on the dentist's written description rather than an actual photo.
The Kentfield Dental way
- We show you a magnified photo of the exact tooth on a screen, so you can see the crack, the decay, or the worn filling for yourself.
- You understand the why behind a recommendation, which can make it much easier to agree with the plan and feel good about it.
- We save the images to your chart, creating a clear visual record we can compare against at future visits.
- Those same photos can be sent with insurance claims and make getting a second opinion straightforward — the evidence travels with you.
Why it matters for you
You see what we see
Instead of relying on a description, you get a clear, magnified photo of your own tooth on the screen. Seeing the issue yourself can take a lot of the guesswork out of the conversation.
Better understanding, better decisions
When you can actually see a cracked filling or early decay, the recommended treatment tends to make a lot more sense. You're able to weigh your options and agree to a plan you genuinely understand, at your own pace.
It helps build trust
Transparency is the whole point. Showing rather than just telling is a big part of how we earn the long-term trust our Marin patients come back for — fewer surprises, and less guessing about what's going on.
A clear record over time
We save your images to your chart, so at your next visit we can compare a tooth side by side and watch for small changes early — often before they turn into bigger, more expensive problems.
Smoother insurance and second opinions
A photo can say a lot more than a written note. Intraoral images can be submitted with insurance claims to help support coverage, and they make getting a second opinion simple because the evidence is right there.
Comfortable and quick
The camera is small, there's nothing to bite down on, and capturing the images usually takes only a moment. It's designed to add clarity to your visit without adding discomfort or much time.
The equipment: MouthWatch intraoral cameras.
Frequently asked questions
No — the intraoral camera is designed to be comfortable. It's a small wand, about the size of a pen, that we gently move around your mouth to take photos. There's nothing to bite on and nothing that touches a nerve, so most patients barely notice it.
We take photos so you can see exactly what we see. Rather than simply telling you a tooth has a crack or early decay, we put a magnified image on the screen and walk through it with you — so you understand the recommendation and can decide on a plan with confidence.
Yes — that's the entire point. The images appear on a screen right at the chair while you're sitting there, and we can freeze and zoom in on any tooth so you can look at it closely and ask questions as we go.
An intraoral camera and an x-ray show different things. The camera takes a true-color photo of the visible surfaces — cracks, staining, worn fillings, and gum tissue — while an x-ray reveals what's hidden inside and between teeth and below the gumline. We often use both together for a more complete picture.
They often can. A clear photo of a cracked or decayed tooth gives your insurance company real visual evidence to support a claim, which can make the approval process smoother than a written description alone. The images also make getting a second opinion easy, since they travel with your records.
Yes — we save your images to your chart as part of your record. That lets us compare the same tooth visit over visit and catch small changes early, and it gives you a clear before-and-after view of any work we do together.