Dental Loupes

[psupredental]

Hey Guys,

Since it's been a couple of years since there has been a thread on dental loupes, I thought I'd start a new one. I am currently a 1st year dental student at U of Maryland and I am looking into buying loupes. The majority of my classmates have gone with orascoptic 2.5x with light bundle. A few with DFV. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for purchasing loupes? What is a good magnification? Should I get a light (I heard new cordless technology will be out by the end of the year)? etc. Any suggestions will be helpful.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lemoncurry]

even if the old thread is old, the same advice still applies, IMO. A loupes purchase is something that you have to make on your own in terms of frame, magnification, etc. With that being said, you can't really go wrong from the big five: Surgitel, DFV, Orascoptic, Heine, or Zeiss.

Flip-up or TTL is a personal preference decision. Try different ones and see if you can live with either the added weight of a flip-up or the constant presence of the TTL.

Magnification is a trickier decision. Many say to start out small and then go bigger if you want. I started at 3.0x and now I use 5.5x. I need to be able to *see* what I am working on. I wish I had started out with higher magnification from the beginning. Many of my classmates are still using 2.5x whereas others have upgraded to higher mag. My personal opinion is that if I am going to be working in terms of fractions of millimeters, I want to be able to see with that much more precision.

I think a light is an absolute must. They are small and relatively cheap now, and they make life SO much easier. Don't be suckered into a bundle with the loupes company unless the cost of the light works out to about $350 or less, AND the light is small or lightweight.

Other factors to consider are whether you want to start with something cheap (i.e.not from the big five) to figure out if you like using loupes and then upgrade later. I don't advocate this, as the optics on those cheap loupes are, well, cheap. Pay the good money for the good loupes, and if you don't like them, you can return them.

My advice is always to try on as many as you can when vendors come around. Try on your classmates' loupes and ask them what they like/dislike. You will get a good idea of what works for you.

 

[Imi Goldberg]

even if the old thread is old, the same advice still applies, IMO. A loupes purchase is something that you have to make on your own in terms of frame, magnification, etc. With that being said, you can't really go wrong from the big five: Surgitel, DFV, Orascoptic, Heine, or Zeiss.

Flip-up or TTL is a personal preference decision. Try different ones and see if you can live with either the added weight of a flip-up or the constant presence of the TTL.

Magnification is a trickier decision. Many say to start out small and then go bigger if you want. I started at 3.0x and now I use 5.5x. I need to be able to *see* what I am working on. I wish I had started out with higher magnification from the beginning. Many of my classmates are still using 2.5x whereas others have upgraded to higher mag. My personal opinion is that if I am going to be working in terms of fractions of millimeters, I want to be able to see with that much more precision.

I think a light is an absolute must. They are small and relatively cheap now, and they make life SO much easier. Don't be suckered into a bundle with the loupes company unless the cost of the light works out to about $350 or less, AND the light is small or lightweight.

Other factors to consider are whether you want to start with something cheap (i.e.not from the big five) to figure out if you like using loupes and then upgrade later. I don't advocate this, as the optics on those cheap loupes are, well, cheap. Pay the good money for the good loupes, and if you don't like them, you can return them.

My advice is always to try on as many as you can when vendors come around. Try on your classmates' loupes and ask them what they like/dislike. You will get a good idea of what works for you.

check med-lite.

 

[iamjackbauer]

I didn't really like any of the "bundle" lights. Lumadent lights work better and cost less so it was a no brainer for me.

 

[Synlar]

lemoncurry gave some great suggestions.

Personally I went with Q-Optics 3.5x TTL with the light, and have no regrets.
I'd recommend getting at least 3.0x. If I want magnification, I want a noticeably increased magnification, not something 'light' like 2.5x. Also people usually don't end up going to a lesser magnification, but instead want something higher, so why not start higher from the beginning.
The light's really nice if you're willing to spend on it. Especially once you start working on patients you'll recognize how dark everything can look instead of on a maniken head, and it's a nice luxury. If not, it's still okay without the light, but what's a few hundred when you're already spending a bunch for school.

 

[iamjackbauer]

lemoncurry gave some great suggestions.

Personally I went with Q-Optics 3.5x TTL with the light, and have no regrets.
I'd recommend getting at least 3.0x. If I want magnification, I want a noticeably increased magnification, not something 'light' like 2.5x. Also people usually don't end up going to a lesser magnification, but instead want something higher, so why not start higher from the beginning.
The light's really nice if you're willing to spend on it. Especially once you start working on patients you'll recognize how dark everything can look instead of on a maniken head, and it's a nice luxury. If not, it's still okay without the light, but what's a few hundred when you're already spending a bunch for school.

+1 on the higher magnification. Lots of people in my class that started out with 2.5x are already wishing they had 3.5's or higher.

 

[DavesNotHere]

I have Heine flip ups and love them. Being able to move the lenses out of the way, or detach in 2 min comes in handy all the time.

I only need mag for short bursts...endo canals, crown prep finishing, prep finishing, and the rest of the time they're not impeding my view.

 

[baseballjunkie]

I also have the Q-Optics 3.5x TTL w/ the light, and I like them both. The shields/frame allow the loupe to be out of the way when looking straight ahead and I don't have to deal with the flip-ups. The customer service that I've got is second to none. The only disadvantage I see is that the clarity is less than that of orascoptic and zeiss. The 2.5x HR loupe is much more clear.

But when it comes to bang for the buck, can't beat it...