The Microscope's Main Features

Optics quality. This is extremely important because it will determine the surgeon's eye fatigue and documentation quality. Also, the stereoscopic lens structure allows the viewing of objects in three dimensions with an excellent impression of depth.

Microscope stability. This is critical. The instrument is adjusted many times during surgery and must stop immediately after being repositioned (Fig. 1-17). It must not drift and the arm must not bounce after being moved.

TIP To test for microscope stability, the surgeon can gently tap the end of the arm when it is fully extended. In a good microscope, superior suspension and mechanical balance prevents the arm from moving or bouncing in response to position adjustments.

Maneuverability. In dentistry, the patient's head moves frequently so the microscope should be kept as light as possible in order to have effortless maneuverability. The closer all the accessories are to the microscope head, the more stable and maneuverable the microscope will be.

Modularity. Because the microscope is a long-term investment, and needs change with time, is important to be able to add new accessories.

Microscope Parts Eyepieces

There are three types of eyepiece, depending on quality and optical aberration correction properties:

• Huygens (H), the most simple and cheap
• wide-field (WF), with good vision in all the field, edges included
• Plossl (PL), the most sophisticated and high quality with good correction of all optical aberrations.

They are available with 6.3, 10, 12.5, 16 and 20 magnification powers. They have an adjustable diopter setting and rubber cups.

TIP One eyepiece with a reticule is a great help for framing the object during documentation.