One of the most significant parts of preventive dentistry is dental examination. Usually, dental issues or oral health problems are preventable. The problems are also easier to cure, provided the treatment starts as early as possible. It is also important to pay regular and routine visits to your dentist from time to time. During these routine visits, your dentist can perform regular evaluations of your overall mouth. Moreover, if the expert feels like it, then the staff will also take dental x-rays of your teeth and gums. Dental X-rays make the assessment and evaluation of a patient’s oral cavity easier and more accurate. To cut a long story short, routine visits to your dentist at regular intervals prove helpful in addressing dental issues early. While a problem is still smaller, it is less damaging for your tooth and proves more affordable to cure.

Teeth examination: a brief description

As far as standard practice goes, a dental examination is combined with regular teeth cleaning. Thus, your appointment is scheduled both with your dentist and a dental hygienist associated with the practice. During the exam, your dentist screens you for the following conditions:–

• Oral cancer
• Gum disease and
• Tooth decay

The expert also inquires about any underlying health conditions that you may have developed. The dentist or the dental hygienist working under the dentist may also be likely to discuss some of your lifestyle factors that can harm your oral health. Dental X-rays are taken of those portions of the mouth that are hard to see with our naked eye. The x-rays make evaluation of those areas easier.

In the world of preventive dentistry assessing a patient for tooth decay, periodontal disease, bone loss, and many other dental issues is crucial. These issues hardly show any symptoms in the initial stages. That is why routine assessment is so important. The earlier the issues are diagnosed the easier becomes the remedy.

How long does a teeth examination last?

A typical dental exam lasts anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour. This includes an appointment with a dental hygienist too. However, for children, it turns out to be shorter. The length of the appointment depends on a few factors. These include the age of a patient, the overall dental condition of a patient, and the frequency of regular dental examinations. As a part of the routine check-up, the hygienist usually prefers reviewing a patient’s brushing and flossing techniques. These reviews ensure the patient is making the best possible effort to keep his or her mouth as healthy and disease-free as possible.

The ideal frequency for dental exams

People, who have healthy gums and the teeth, are usually asked to come for a routine dental exam once a year. On the other hand, if you have continual issues with your oral health then you are likely to come for routine mouth and teeth examination more frequently. Your dentist will inform you about that. For example, patients who are prone to developing gum disease are asked by dentists to attend routine checkups every 3 to 4 months.

Different types of dental exams

Dentists are known to provide a variety of dental exams. The choice of the exam mostly depends on a case history. Usually, any comprehensive exam is completed during the initial check-up of a patient. These exams are repeated every few years to make a realistic assessment of the patient’s overall dental condition. The most common exams in the category of comprehensive dental exams include screening for oral cancer, evaluation for TMJ, screening for gum disease, a complete assessment of the patient’s teeth examination, and others. These tests are done with the help of a series of dental X-rays. Even proper reviewing of underlying health problems is neither left out. 

As far as dentists are concerned they have an objective to carry out these comprehensive exams on patients. Through these exams, they get a baseline reading of one’s overall oral health. Periodic exams only focus on the changes in a patient’s health, for example, gum disease.  

Routine or regular oral health exams are also known as recall exams. This category of evaluation is done when you visit your dentist’s office or practice for a routine hygiene check-up. The dentist looks into the insides of your mouth during the procedure to identify any fresh development since your last visit.

When a specific problem about your teeth examination is concerned then your dentist carries out a limited exam. Suppose you suddenly experience a nasty toothache or a broken tooth. In that case, your dentist clicks a single X-ray of only the specific area of the mouth. At that time the dental team will not look elsewhere in your mouth or screen for any other problem.

Dental Recall Exam – what is it?

After you have completed the cleaning procedure there will be a recall evaluation. This is done to identify any problem related to your teeth and the gums. If you have concerns over a particular tooth or teeth examination, you should share them with your dentist. Dentists monitor changes to your teeth and gums from one visit to another. These experts are your best bet to discuss your common concerns. Moreover, they also play a key role in minimizing the chances of disease complications.  

A patient’s maximum number of oral health appointments is recall visits. Most of your visits to your dentist sum up to the kind of encounter discussed above. However, if you suffer a trauma – like a broken tooth, bleeding mouth, acute toothache, or any specific oral health problem then certainly you will have a different kind of experience than what has been mentioned above in this blog post. There is an obvious reason behind it.

For the vast majority of patients, there is only a slight change in oral health conditions between two back-to-back sessions.

Book your next appointment at our practice

Thousand Smiles Dental Clinic offers the best dental exams for new patients. We maintain a warm, caring atmosphere that takes the anxieties of the patients away. Our qualified and skilled dentists prioritize minimally invasive and preventive dental care. Feel free to give us a call and book your appointment now!