Maxillary molar, mirror view only. The hands are Dr. Jong-Ki Lee’s, founder of Dental-Edutec, after 25 years of clinical practice.
Mirror vision only.Would you pass?
Lower left second premolar, FDI #35. Fissure caries you can only reach through the mirror.
1Fissure cariesThe target follows the fissures.
2MirrorOcclusal surface of #35, reflected.
3Timer and live scoreRemoval · Fault · Accuracy
4Bur tipVisible only in the reflection.
5Bur controlRight thumb. Reversed by the mirror.
Tooth#35
Removal98%
Fault0%
Accuracy83%
Score804
The #35 result, as posted on Instagram.
How a case works.
One maxillary molar, four moments.
The mirror flips it.
Up is down, left is right. You work from the reflection, the way you will at the chair.
Guide the bur by its reflection.
Your thumb moves the handpiece. The bur tip in the mirror is the only view you get of where it cuts.
Remove every branch. Touch nothing else.
The caries runs along the fissures. Removal, fault and accuracy update as you cut.
Then you get a score.
Caries left behind lowers Removal. Sound tooth you cut raises Fault. Pass both and the case is PASSED.
The scoring follows a published method: target removal minus fault removal, over target volume. Lee et al., European Journal of Dental Education, 2025. doi:10.1111/eje.70057
1MirrorInverted image: up is down, left is right.
2Bur, reflectedThe only view you get of the tip.
3HandpieceYour hand moves it the opposite way you see.
4Caries pathRemove every branch.
5Live scoreRemoval, fault and accuracy, as you cut.
1Caries path, removedEvery branch, cleaned out.
2Sound enamelFault 0%: nothing healthy was cut.
Removal98%
Fault0%
ResultPASSED
Upper and lower.Picked by tooth number.
Maxillary and mandibular cases, chosen by FDI number. Every run ends in numbers you can compare.
1Fissure path, removed
2CaptureKeeps the finished case.
Mandibular #35, finished
The case from the dark screen above, after the last cut.
Removal98%
Fault0%
Accuracy83%
Score804
1Score panelThe same numbers reach the instructor.
2Caries path
3Mirror
A second maxillary case
Upper arch again, a different tooth and caries pattern.
Removal97%
Fault1%
ResultPASS
Sit where youwould in clinic.
Each case sets your operator position. For #24, you sit at 10 o’clock with the mirror on the buccal of #35.
More ways to practise.
60-Second Challenge
One case, one minute. Clean caries removal against the clock.
Global MirrorMaster Challenge
Take a case, post your result, and see where you land on the champion leaderboard.
Left-hand mode
For left-handed operators.
iPad and phone
Practise on whichever is in your bag.
In the curriculum
Used in the 5-week indirect-vision curriculum at Pusan National University School of Dentistry. For educators
Watch the hands.
Real attempts on an iPad or phone, posted at @dental_master_series.
