Dental Exams In general, we recommend that our patients come to us twice a year for dental exams. This is done following your routine cleanings, which happen every six months. Our dental hygienist will clean your teeth and then our dentist can come to meet with you. Exams are important for maintaining long-term oral health. We offer these routine exams, as well as more comprehensive exams as necessary, at Wy'East Dental.Importance of Dental ExamsThere are two different types of dental exams; these are routine and comprehensive exams, and both offer benefits to your oral health. Routine exams are important to monitor dental development in younger patients. They also help to ensure minor dental health conditions, such as cavities, can be resolved quickly. This also gives you a chance to express any concerns to our dentist. Comprehensive exams are for patients with a more detailed medical history. We also recommend having these once every few years as a precaution. These help to diagnose more serious issues that extend beyond your mouth. CleaningBefore our dentist can examine your teeth, our dental hygienist must clean them. This starts with the use of a scaler, a dental instrument designed to pull plaque and tartar from your teeth. The next step is polishing the teeth, which we use a gritty toothpaste to do. After this, we will finish the cleaning by flossing your teeth with a traditional dental floss. Routine ExamsRoutine exams happen immediately after your cleaning is complete. These exams consist of x-rays, a bite check, a visual exam, and oral cancer screening. However, x-rays are completed yearly rather than twice a year. The bite check is to ensure that your teeth are properly aligned, your bite force is sufficient, and that you do not experience any symptoms when biting or chewing. The visual exam allows our dentist to check for signs of cavities or obvious misalignment. The oral cancer screening will also be a part of the visual exam since our dentist will also check for symptoms of oral cancer. Some of these symptoms include lesions, swelling, bleeding, discoloration, and abnormal growths. Comprehensive ExamsComprehensive exams include everything in routine exams, plus an examination of additional areas. You will receive a routine dental cleaning and exam before our dentist begins the comprehensive dental exam. Comprehensive exams also include closer exams of the head, neck, soft tissues in your mouth, and gums. For the head, face, and neck areas, our dentist checks for abnormalities in the facial structure as a whole as well as for any swelling. They will also check the condition of your jaw joint. The visual exam of the gums, soft tissues, and teeth is very similar to what is included in routine exams. However, the visual exam will be a little more in-depth. For example, our dentist may use an instrument to probe your teeth in order to check for cavities or sensitivity. Following any exam, if there are concerns that you or our dentist expressed, a possible treatment plan will be discussed. This may include medications, follow-up testing, or other treatments. For additional information on dental exams, call Wy'East Dental at (503) 919-2802. |
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