Dental exams are essential to keep your oral hygiene at the top of its game. Brushing and flossing at home will help keep your mouth healthy, but you also need an expert’s eye to ensure overall oral health. Your number of visits per year depends on your unique risk factors, so on your initial visit, we will do a very thorough exam and determine your problems and your goals. You will then have one-on-one time with Dr. Coates to discuss what is right for you and how we can reach your goals for your oral health and a beautiful healthy smile.
There are several things you can expect at your regular check-up exams:
- X-Rays: Using diagnostic radiographs, or X-rays, we will examine your mouth for signs of decay, tumors, cysts, and even bone loss. X-rays also help us determine the exact position of your tooth and root, which helps us detect misalignments that could be causing you anything from jaw and neck pain to headaches and dizziness. We use digital x-rays which reduce the radiation exposure to about 1/10th of the old style x-rays.
- Oral Cancer Screening: During your check-up, we’ll also examine you for any signs of oral cancer. This means we’ll be checking your face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues, and gums.
- Periodontal Disease Evaluation: By checking your gums as well as the bone surrounding your teeth, we will look for any signs and risk factors of gum disease.
- Tooth Decay Exam: We’ll check the surfaces of your teeth for cavities using special instruments that let us see even the most difficult-to-reach places (such as in between your teeth).
- Examination of Existing Restorations: We will also check all of your existing fillings, crowns, and restorations to make sure they are all in working order.
- Sleep Apnea Screening: We will look at the throat, tongue, neck size, and a number of other areas to screen for possible risks of obstructive sleep disorders.
- Occlusal Disease Evaluation: We check your bite and alignment to see if you have issues that are damaging the teeth, gum, bone, or TM joints.
No matter how frequently you are in need of regular dental exams, we will help keep your mouth healthy using all of our experience, expert tools, and care.
For more information or to schedule your next check-up, call our office at (562) 434-6414.
