Dental Examination (check-up)
The dental check-up is a thorough and comprehensive examination of your mouth.
What happens during a dental check up?
After discussing your medical history and your general health condition, we will start by assessing the extra-oral areas of your mouth, head and neck – the lymph nodes, joints, the saliva glands, muscles and lips – looking for any areas of concern.
Next we will check your soft tissues – the inside of the lips, the tongue, the palate, the inside of the cheeks, again checking for abnormal conditions. Your teeth are also checked for decay, fractures, defective fillings and unsightly restorations.
Small digital X-rays are taken to gain a better view of ‘hidden’ areas of your mouth, for example, to detect whether any decay is occurring between or inside your teeth. X-rays also help to show the supporting bone level in your jaw, to detect signs of advanced gum disease or infections. They should be taken every 18 months to 2 years as part of your routine exam.
At Taradale Family Dental we have the facility to take a panoramic X-ray and this will normally be taken to enable us to see more of the root area of teeth and surrounding bone.
A screening of your periodontal health (the state of your gums) is also carried out. If any gum disease is found this would mean a recommendation for a full-mouth scale and polish and additional oral hygiene instruction. More severe cases may be referred to a Periodontist (gum-specialist).