Comparing images

You can compare up to six images (intraoral or extraoral; X-ray or photo) at once.

To compare images

1. If the correct patient is not already selected, use the Patient Search box to access the patient's record.

   Note: You can include inactive patients in the search results by setting the Include inactive patients switch to On.

2. Do one of the following:

   • View an image from the patient's image history list (Exam view).

     1. On the Patient menu, under Clinical, select Chart, Progress Notes, Quick Exam, Perio, Tx Planner, or Imaging. Then, on the Imaging tab's menu, select Show Image History.

        

     2. On the Images tab, select an image (intraoral or extraoral; X-ray or photo) or a series (such as a full mouth series or bitewings).

        

     3. If you have selected a series, under Image Navigator, click (or tap) an image of that series.

        

   • View an image from the patient's image history list (Modality view).

     1. On the Patient menu, under Clinical, select Chart, Progress Notes, Quick Exam, Perio, Tx Planner, or Imaging. Then, on the Imaging tab's menu, select Show Image History.

        

        The patient's imaging page opens, and the Intraoral X-ray tab is selected by default.

        

     2. Select one of the modality tabs to view the corresponding images: Intraoral X-ray, Intraoral Color, Extraoral X-ray, or Extraoral Color.

     3. To view an image (intraoral or extraoral; X-ray or photo), select it (a yellow border appears around it to indicate that it is selected), and then click (or tap) the item again.

   • View one of the patient's most recent images.

     1. Do one of the following:

        • On the Patient menu, under Clinical, select Imaging.

        • On the Patient menu, under Clinical, select Chart, Progress Notes, Quick Exam, Perio, Tx Planner, or Imaging. Then, on the Imaging tab's menu, select Show Most Recent Images.

          

     2. Click (or tap) any single image (intraoral or extraoral; X-ray or photo) or an image within a series (such as a full mouth series or bitewings).

        

   The selected image appears in the viewing area.

   

3. If the current template slot (for an intraoral X-ray image or an intraoral photo in a custom set) has multiple images assigned, to use an image other than the top image of the stack for the comparison, do any of the following as needed:

   • At the top of the viewing area, click (or tap) the Previous or Next button  as needed to view the desired image in the stack.

   • On the image stack panel (near the bottom of the viewing area), click (or tap) the desired thumbnail image to view that image in the viewing area.

     Note: If the panel is collapsed, click (or tap) the handle to expand the panel.

   

4. Click (or tap) Compare.

   The selected image is loaded in the first comparison frame of the viewing area. The images that have tooth numbers in common with the selected image (the "Original") appear on the Images for tooth range panel.

   

5. If needed, filter the Images for tooth range panel to display only the images that match the filter criteria that you specify.

   Do the following:

   1. Click (or tap) the Filter images button (in the upper-right corner of the panel) to view the available filters.

      

   2. Set up any of the following filters:

      • Date - To view the images according to a different date, select the desired date in the list under Show images taken on. To view all images that have been acquired on and after the selected date, select the All since that day checkbox. To view the images that were acquired only on the selected date, clear the All since that day checkbox.

      • Type - To view images in any category (intraoral X-rays, intraoral photos, intraoral photos without tooth numbers assigned, extraoral X-rays, extraoral photos, CAD/CAM/iOS scans, and 3D volumes), select the All types checkbox. To view images in only certain categories, make sure the checkboxes of only those categories are selected; the other checkboxes must be cleared.

      • Teeth - If the Intraoral X-ray and/or Intraoral photo checkboxes are selected, to view those types of images for specific teeth, select the desired teeth on the Tooth Chart. The tooth filter does not apply to intraoral photos that do not have tooth numbers assigned to them and extraoral X-rays (which apply to all teeth), and extraoral photos (which apply to all teeth). To clear all tooth selections, click (or tap) the Clear selected link.

      • Show everything - To set the filter options to their default states and display all the patient's images, click (or tap) the Show everything link.

   3. Click (or tap) the X in the upper-right corner of or anywhere outside of the Narrowing Down the Results menu to close the menu.

6. By default, the viewing area has two frames (the two-frames icon is selected in the lower-left corner). To change the number of frames so you can compare more than one image to the original, in the lower-left corner, select the four-frame or six-frame icon.

   

7. On the Images for tooth range panel, select an image to compare to the original. If the number of frames is four or six, select additional comparison images as needed. As you select each comparison image, it appears in the next available frame of the viewing area. Each frame with an image has color and number indicators, and the corresponding image on the Images for tooth range panel has the same color and number indicators.

   

8. In the viewing area, select the original image or a comparison image. The color and number indicators for the tools (in the lower-right corner) change to match those of the selected frame in the viewing area.

   Note: To remove an image from a comparison frame in the viewing area, click the corresponding Remove image button .

9. To modify how an image is being viewed, do any of the following for the selected image:

   • Use the Brightness/Contrast button to change the brightness and/or contrast.

   • Use the Zoom slider to zoom in and out.

   • While zoomed in on an image, drag the red rectangle on the Pan dialog box that appears to pan to another part of the image.

     

10. Linking the images being compared allows the zooming and panning of one image to be synchronized with the other. To link images, Click (or tap) the Link button .

    Now, as you zoom in and out and pan, both images are affected.

    

    Note: To unlink the images, click (or tap) the Linked button .

11. Click (or tap) Finish Comparison.