The Exam

A regular check up is the most important thing you can do for your dental health, aside from your home care (brushing and flossing). Regular checkups aren’t just about cavities, and they aren’t just for kids! Checkups are primarily about prevention: ensuring that new dental problems don’t develop and preventing existing problems from becoming worse.

You can’t do it alone! Even if you are the most conscientious about your home care, your teeth and gums still need regular care from a dental professional. What we can see that you can’t:

• Deteriorating fillings, crowns and other restorations
• Decay on roots of teeth exposed by receding gums
• Periodontal pockets caused by gum disease
• New decay under gums and existing fillings
• Hairline tooth fractures
• Impacted wisdom teeth
• Early signs of gum disease.
• Early signs of oral cancer

Don’t wait until it hurts! Regular checkups once every six months is the general guideline, but exceptions may necessitate visits more or less often. X-rays, or radiographs, are an important tool for us to help determine your risk and need for maintenance. They are used to detect, diagnose and plan for problems long before they become visible to the naked eye.

At our office, we use clinical laboratory services from OralDNA Labs® to ensure we are giving our patients the best oral health information possible. OralDNA Labs® is a specialty diagnostics company designed to provide reliable, definitive and cost effective clinical tests that guide oral health professionals in detecting and prognosing disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.