Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases through affiliate links support the blog at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support!
Should I buy dental loupes?
As professionals, we need tools that grant us the superpower to visualize, diagnose, and treat patients with the highest excellence of care.
I've been practicing dentistry for over 10 years and have tried several different brands of dental loupes. The first introduction to dental loupes happens during the 1st year of dental school when we have no idea what we are looking at!
This decision is not one to be taken lightly because its financial investment ranges from $1,500-$3,500 depending on the brand, magnification, and accessories such as a light.
Luckily, there are two main points to consider when deciding on a loupe brand company.
Quality
Customer service
What is the best dental loupes company or brand?
I've tried a few different dental loupes companies and having a reputation of quality and good customer service has been a major factor.
Some companies have a reputation for poor customer support for post-delivery adjustments. Yes, even with a great return/money-back guarantee, what can you do if you simply cannot get the help you need?
That's why I'm enthralled to find the new leader in the dental loupe industry, Enova Illumination!
Enova's history is linked to Orascoptic, a major dental loupe brand. The quality is just as great (if not better) and their innovation and customer service are light years ahead!
After selecting a dental loupe brand, what features should you look for?
Loupe design
Loupe magnification
Light type
1. What loupes design should you get?
Recently, dental loupe companies have released their lines of ergonomic loupes, which are the only ones I would purchase for dentistry.
I've used non-ergonomic loupes for over a decade and have consequently developed eye strain, headaches, and neck pain. After the switch to Enova's ergonomic loupes, the pain and discomfort are gone; I will never go back!
2. What loupes magnification to get?
This is dependent on preference and specialty.
For general dentists, using loupe magnification between 2.5 and 3.5 is a great start!
Lower magnification also works for dental surgeons for routine extractions and other surgical procedures. Higher magnification is excellent for endodontists or highly detailed work.
I've used 2.5 for the first 5 years of my dental career before upgrading to 3.5. These were all non-ergonomic versions and I even attempted increasing to 5.5 but due to the weight of the loupes, I returned them. Now that I have Enova's ergonomic loupes, I currently use 5 magnification with no issues.
3. What light type to get for dental loupes?
There are several types of lights for dental loupes, from the traditional wired with either hip or neck battery packs or my favorite, the wireless battery.
I'm naturally talented in getting wrapped up in cords so wireless is my clear go-to choice. I enjoy Enova's Atom Plus LED light over my previously adored Spark light by Orascoptic for these reasons:
The sound feedback on turning on and off
Magnetic attachment to loupes and charging
Dual battery fast charger (USB-C)
Powerful 23,000Lux (20% direct sunlight) - 35000Lux
Featherweight, fatigue-free, and a must-have accessory for your loupes.
In my years of wearing loupes and dealing with customer service, I'm more than pleased with the Enova brand. Want to find out what other people are saying, here are some reviews.
They are also happy to support my readers with a discount code! Use CAGE23 to get 15% off!
Have you tried Enova?
