Dental inspections are one of the significant procedures performed by a family dentist. These visits allow the dentist to assess the patient’s teeth and take all necessary remedies. Not everyone’s dental checkup is the same, and the difference between certain types can be beneficial to identify which dental treatment is appropriate for you.
Dental Checkup
The dentist will first check your health history. The checkup will include assessing cavities, gum condition, vitamin deficiencies, plaque buildup signs, and other oral health issues. Inspections will happen on areas around your throat, neck, tongue, and head for any signs of inflammation, complications, or noticeable symptoms of dangerous illnesses such as cancer.
Issues that are not seen externally will need to have an X-ray. This procedure will require the patient to bite a plastic designed explicitly for X-ray purposes. The dentist will then place the machine on your cheek. The results will lead to your dentist having the appropriate inspection necessary for your jawbones, roots, and the sides of your teeth.
Types of Dental Examination
Comprehensive Oral Examination
It happens during a patient’s initial visit to the dental clinic. The checkup results will then be used as a basis of the patient’s oral status and health. The dentist also uses this as a general health status for the following dental examinations that the patient will have.
Limited Oral Examination
Also known as the oral evaluation that is problem-focused, a limited oral examination occurs during emergencies. In this type of checkup, a particular oral health issue is focused on and addressed.
Periodic Oral Examination
In contrast to a comprehensive oral examination, a periodic oral exam happens after your first visit. It is for those patients who already have previous records and have had their oral health conditions diagnosed.
Teeth Cleaning
Your teeth will have a thorough cleaning, which includes removing plaque buildup and tartar that is usually found below and above the gum line. Your dentist will begin to floss in between your teeth for adequate removal of food particles clinging to your gums. A tooth polisher with abrasive paste will give your teeth that smooth and sparkling finish that will make plaque accumulation difficult. You can also ask for treatments for porcelain veneers if you’re wearing any.
Removing plaque is not only for oral health improvement. The surrounding bacteria can also cause bad breath, gum disease, tooth loss, cavities that will lead to an abscess, and infections. Severe gum diseases can also cause stroke, respiratory problems, diabetic issues, and coronary disease. Dentists recommend getting your teeth cleaned at least twice every year.
Scaling and Root Planing
Deep cleaning, otherwise known as scaling and root planing, is only given to patients that are likely to develop gum disease or those that currently have gum disease.
If an excess plaque begins to grow over time without regular cleaning, it can solidify and become calculus or tartar, leading to gum disease and other major oral health concerns. When this happens, it is necessary to scale and root the plaque for the dentist to remove it while cleaning up.
Dentists only often do this procedure in patients with indications of gum disease, including loose teeth, swollen gums, and bleeding gums.
Fluoride Treatments
There may be a recommendation for fluoride treatment to safeguard the patient’s teeth if the dentist sees various factors that suggest they are prone to tooth decay. The doctor provides a mouth tray with fluoride gel for the patient to bite on, and they have to keep in position for one minute. It will provide protection that will last up to six months.
Gross Debridement
Dentists often perform this dental cleaning technique to identify any problems with the patient’s teeth that they didn’t notice before the initial dental cleaning. Gross debridement is usually for people who haven’t visited their dentists in over a year. Most of the time, these patients may have developed a hardened plaque on their teeth’s surface.
In essence, dentists perform gross debridement by thoroughly eliminating plaque buildup on the gums and teeth. Although a basic gross debridement only takes a few minutes, one with a substantial quantity of plaque accumulation on damaged teeth may take some time to finish.
General dentistry learning enables people to appreciate the need for frequent dental inspections. Remember that dental problems might occur without feeling any pain, which leads some people to believe that a checkup isn’t necessary. Moreover, checkups do more than teeth cleaning since it is typically a preventive appointment to determine a patients’ current oral health. Finally, inspections encourage not just healthy oral hygiene but also their complete wellness.
