Loupes aren't just to see better

Recently I had a solar keratosis removed from the back of my right hand. My doctor "burnt" the spot with liquid nitrogen.

I pointed out the spot but I don't think my doctor could really see it. She ended up almost missing the spot I wanted done, and she burned a big area that did not need doing.

She did not wear loupes or use any form of magnification. I'm certain that with magnification she could have been much more precise with her treatment.

As I travel around dental practices, I see lots of dentists working without magnification.

Let's leave aside questions of speed and quality (magnification definitely lets you work faster and more precisely). Let's consider patient perceptions.

Do you want your patients to look at you and call you "Dr Close Enough". Or, would you prefer your patients to look at you and call you "Dr Meticulous". Loupes send the message loud and clear to patients you are careful and precise in what you do.

I used loupes for everything, even extractions and denture adjustments.

There's no doubt they made me faster and let me work with higher quality but they were also a way of letting patients know non-verbally about the quality of work I did.

If you don't use loupes, you really are missing a great opportunity to impress your patients.