Your dental exam consists of the dentist looking in your mouth and examining things that can affect your oral and overall health. Although you may feel there is nothing wrong many things happening in your mouth you can not see or feel in the early stages whereas your dentist is highly trained to detect. The things that your dentist is looking for and checking are as follows:
* going over your overall general medical history to determine how it affects your oral health
* checking for plaque and tartar and the appropriate dental cleaning needed
* the overall condition of your teeth and mouth
* checking for cracked, damaged or decayed teeth
* examining the state of your gums, checking for gum disease, including gum measurements,
* assessing previous dental work
* suspicious growths in and around your mouth and tongue
* signs of any oral cancers
* whether you clench or grind your teeth which can cause cracks and wear your teeth down.
* examination of your tongue, roof and floor of your mouth
* TMJ – checking the jaw joints
* checking the condition of the bones in your face, jaw and mouth
* taking of dental x-rays which helps the dentist see between the teeth, check root canals of the teeth, infections and assess previous dental work
* an examination of your neck area, glands and lymph nodes
* checking your blood pressure
Early detection and prevention is our goal. The dentist goes through the findings and suggests the appropriate treatment, appointments and or referrals necessary. Be sure to ask lots of questions so that you can understand your oral health and be a part of making it better.
Dr. Elizabeth Dimovski Dental Office – We Protect Your Smile!