The one principle
You are not trying to take a good photo. You are trying to take the same photo, repeatedly, so that when something changes you know the change is in your mouth and not in your bathroom.
The five-photo sequence
A full Check-in walks you through five framings. Each one exists because a different dimension needs it.
| Photo | What it shows | Reads |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior bite | Front teeth together, lips retracted | Brightness, gums, cleanliness |
| Right buccal | Back teeth from the right side | Gums, cleanliness, per-region freshness |
| Left buccal | Back teeth from the left side | Gums, cleanliness, per-region freshness |
| Upper arch | Looking up at the top teeth | Gums, cleanliness |
| Lower arch | Looking down at the bottom teeth | Gums, cleanliness |
A Smile Makeover needs only three, and a Breath Hygiene scan adds a relaxed tongue photo.
Lighting
- Indirect daylight is best. A window, not facing it directly.
- Warm bathroom bulbs push every reading yellow. If that's your only option, use it every time — consistency rescues it.
- Avoid direct flash on the anterior shot. It flattens shade and creates hotspots that read as brightness that isn't there.
- Don't change rooms between scans. This is the single most common cause of a mystery score drop.
Timing
- Before eating or drinking, or at least thirty minutes after.
- Same point in your routine every time — either always before brushing or always after. Before is more informative.
- Same day of the week. Weekends and weekdays are different mouths for most people.
- Not immediately after a professional clean, unless you want to deliberately mark that step in your timeline.
The common mistakes
- Cleaning first. You'll measure your toothbrush, not your week.
- Changing the angle to 'get a better shot'. Follow the on-screen guide even when it looks worse.
- Scanning only when you feel good about it. This is the one that quietly ruins trend lines — you end up with a graph of your confidence, not your mouth.
- Retracting harder than last time. Different retraction shows different anatomy and changes the gum margin reading.
- Scanning daily. Most dimensions can't move that fast; you'll be reading noise. Weekly is the right cadence.
Questions
No. The guided capture is designed for fingers and a phone. Retractors give a cleaner image but only help if you use them every single time.
Rear camera gives a better image, front camera gives better framing control. Either works — pick one and never switch, because they render colour differently.
Weekly is the sweet spot. Companion's weekly cadence is what makes a six-week line readable — scan monthly and it takes a quarter before the line says anything.