Oral Examinations
Seeing your dentist for regularly scheduled oral exams plays a key role in maintaining a healthy mouth and preventing small problems from developing into complex issues.
Oral exams provide your dentist with an opportunity to detect developing issues in the earliest stages and provide treatment before more severe damage and painful symptoms arise.
This proactive approach to dental care helps to protect your oral health and save you from having to undergo more costly treatments later.
During each exam, your dentist will do a brief oral cancer screening, assess the health of individual teeth and check your gums, jaw and bite for problems. Intraoral scans, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures may be recommended from time to time.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer can affect any part of the mouth or surrounding tissues. Your dentist will check the face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues, and gums for any signs of oral cancer that can be difficult for patients to spot on their own. VELscope technology may also be used to help your dentist detect anything unusual.
Laser Hygiene Therapy with the Odyssey Diode Laser
Laser hygiene therapy is an easy and noninvasive treatment that can remove bacteria from the gumline and help prevent gum disease. Sometimes in advanced cases, surgery is recommended, but laser therapy is often used as a preventive measure to circumvent the need for surgery.
Dental Hygiene Cleaning
Before or after your exam, your dental hygienist will perform a deep cleaning of your teeth and gums to clear away harmful plaque and bacteria that can lead to oral health problems.
To begin, they will use a scaler to remove any tartar and plaque build-up. Next, they will use a polisher and coarse toothpaste to remove any leftover stains or plaque, followed by a thorough flossing of your teeth and gums.
Fluoride Treatment
If you or your child has a high risk of tooth decay, your dentist may also recommend a fluoride treatment. Fluoride is a natural mineral that can help to rebuild the minerals in your tooth enamel to prevent or reverse tooth decay.
