What to Expect at Your First Visit
Dental Examination | Health and Dental History | Radiographs
Dental Examination
Everybody needs regular preventive dental examinations. Even if you have excellent home care and brush and floss regularly your teeth and gums still need regular care and examination from a dental professional. Dental exams are just as important if you wear dentures, have dental implants, or are taking medication or receiving treatments that affect your mouth in some way.
How often you are seen for a dental examination depends on your personal oral health needs and the recommendations of your Dentist and Registered Dental Hygienist at Summit Dental. The goal is to catch small problems early. For most patients, this means a check up every six months. Your Dentist or Registered Dental Hygienist may suggest that you visit more or less often depending on how well you care for your teeth and gums, dental problems you have that need to be checked or treated, if you are in orthodontic treatment, also how fast deposits builds up on your teeth.
No matter how carefully you take care of your teeth and gums, or how carefully you look for signs of problems, there are a number of oral health conditions that only your dentist can see. Various medical conditions can also be detected during your dental check up, often in their early stages. Your dentist has been trained to identify the oral manifestations of these conditions, and can refer you to other health professionals for treatment.
During your dental examination at Summit Dental, the dentist will look for early signs of oral cancer and many other diseases. Your dentist will also look for gum disease, cavities, eroded fillings, tooth fractures, and oral infections. Your dentist is trained to catch small problems before they become big ones, and can often treat a problem right away. Some things your dentist will be checking for include: early signs of gum disease, eroded fillings, infections, oral cancer, the breaking down of existing dental restorations as well as problems with your occlusion (bite). Many small problems can be caught before they get big and can often be treated right away.
Some dental problems your dentist can see that you can't:
It is important to tell your dentist if you are nervous about dental visits. This feeling is called dental anxiety. Even people who visit the dentist on a regular basis sometimes get "butterflies in the stomach." In severe cases, fear can be so bad that people who really need to see a dentist stay away and puts their dental health at risk. Sometimes it is simply the fear of pain that keeps people from visiting the dentist regularly. If you are afraid of going to the dentist for any reason, don't be shy to talk to your dentist about it. Your dentist has many ways to help you relax.
How often you are seen for a dental examination depends on your personal oral health needs and the recommendations of your Dentist and Registered Dental Hygienist at Summit Dental. The goal is to catch small problems early. For most patients, this means a check up every six months. Your Dentist or Registered Dental Hygienist may suggest that you visit more or less often depending on how well you care for your teeth and gums, dental problems you have that need to be checked or treated, if you are in orthodontic treatment, also how fast deposits builds up on your teeth.
No matter how carefully you take care of your teeth and gums, or how carefully you look for signs of problems, there are a number of oral health conditions that only your dentist can see. Various medical conditions can also be detected during your dental check up, often in their early stages. Your dentist has been trained to identify the oral manifestations of these conditions, and can refer you to other health professionals for treatment.
During your dental examination at Summit Dental, the dentist will look for early signs of oral cancer and many other diseases. Your dentist will also look for gum disease, cavities, eroded fillings, tooth fractures, and oral infections. Your dentist is trained to catch small problems before they become big ones, and can often treat a problem right away. Some things your dentist will be checking for include: early signs of gum disease, eroded fillings, infections, oral cancer, the breaking down of existing dental restorations as well as problems with your occlusion (bite). Many small problems can be caught before they get big and can often be treated right away.
Some dental problems your dentist can see that you can't:
- Periodontal pockets caused by gum disease.
- Early signs of gum disease.
- Early signs of oral cancer.
- Breakdown of fillings, crowns and other restorations.
- Cavities under existing fillings.
- New decay under the gumline.
- Root cavities - decay on roots of teeth exposed by receding gums.
- Hairline tooth fractures.
- Impacted wisdom teeth.
- Signs of other problems that could affect your general health
It is important to tell your dentist if you are nervous about dental visits. This feeling is called dental anxiety. Even people who visit the dentist on a regular basis sometimes get "butterflies in the stomach." In severe cases, fear can be so bad that people who really need to see a dentist stay away and puts their dental health at risk. Sometimes it is simply the fear of pain that keeps people from visiting the dentist regularly. If you are afraid of going to the dentist for any reason, don't be shy to talk to your dentist about it. Your dentist has many ways to help you relax.
