by Dr Nicolas van der Walt, Van Der Walt Dental, Bundaberg, QLD
For these loupes, I chose a magnification of 3.2X in order to have as wide a field of view as possible. I wear them for practically every procedure.
What’s good about it
These loupes are mounted on a headband so you don’t feel the weight on your nose. They can be easily flipped out of the way and there’s a filter that fits over the light to protect composites. The filter can be moved with the back of the wrist to keep hands sterile. The loupes are not attached to glasses, so you can wear any type of protective or prescription glasses you choose.
A great advantage is that they are adjustable. There’s no need to hold your head at a particular angle all the time as you can adjust the loupes so your neck’s not always in the same position. If they should get bumped out of alignment, it’s very easy to reset them.
The light is bright, adjustable and mounted directly between the loupes so there is no shadowing. The battery can be worn in your pocket or on your belt. The unit comes with two batteries and they charge faster than they run down.
What’s not so good
When you turn down the light from full power to a lower setting, there’s a stroboscopic effect. It’s not noticeable but if you run a large bur at a certain speed, it appears to be either stationary or moving in reverse.
