Working with Indirect Vision : My First Experience

Dental
1

What is indirect vision in dentistry?

It’s a technique in dentistry where the clinician uses a mouth mirror to view and operate on areas of the mouth that cannot be seen directly, such as the back surfaces of upper front and back teeth and biting surfaces of back teeth.

Screenshot 2026-09-30 170601
Screenshot 2026-09-30 170601851×481 92.3 KB

My experience

One preclinical conservative-dentistry practicals day – we had finished with the lower teeth cavity preparations on our typodont sets. Next, we had to start with cavity preparations on the upper teeth.

First exercise was a Class I cavity preparation (Dumbbell shaped cavity design as shown in below picture) on right upper first premolar. I picked up my mouth mirror and micromotor handpiece to start my work.

I really struggled to adjust my mouth mirror and handpiece to get a view of the area of premolar where I had to do the cavity. I wasn’t able to realize which direction I was moving my bur and handpiece. Later, I accidentally cut through one of the edges of the tooth! I had to redo the exercise. I think I got it almost right in my third attempt. I struggled a lot with the upper tooth cavity preparations. It took me almost 8 to 10 months to get comfortable with the mirror work.

Cavity
Cavity646×338 176 KB

How to master mirror skills in dentistry?

  • Mirror tracing exercises: Trace anything like a rectangle/zigzag line/star on a paper looking only through a plane mirror

  • Be thorough with instrument grasps, finger rests and dental chair positions given in your textbooks

  • Watch YouTube videos where dentists explain on how to work with indirect vision. I recommend watching the YouTube videos by Dr Richard G Stevenson (YouTube channel name: Stevensons Dental Solutions). These videos helped me a lot.

My advice for dental students

Dentistry demands patience, consistency and regular practice. You’ll struggle a lot during your preclinical practicals. Never give up. Work on your skills and theory. Remember these struggles are slowly trying to groom you into a perfect dentist in future.

Have you had experiences like this during your college practicals? Share your experiences below.

MBH/AB

2

Yes that’s right, practice makes a man perfect. Without consistent practice you can’t be perfect in any field.

1 Like
3

Yes! Working with indirect vision definitely takes some practice. I remember struggling with it during college practicals, but with repeated practice, especially during my internship, I became much more confident and comfortable with it.

1 Like
4

Yes, working with an indirect vision is not so easy at the beginning. The first patient that I had in the Endo and Cons department needed an indirect vision, and I was so nervous, but my senior and professor helped me. This technique is very important in dentistry, and it takes some time to master it, but when one masters it, half the job is done.

1 Like