Dental Exams Exams are an important part of a patient's regular oral care. Adults should have dental exams every six months to ensure proper oral health. Dental exams are the easiest way to identify any abnormalities which could be related to more serious conditions. Patients may have considerable anxiety surrounding their teeth and mouth. This anxiety might even be more intense concerning having an exam completed. Patients need to understand it is important for early detection of cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, as well as oral cancer to have routine dental exams. Early detection is greatly beneficial in the overall treatment of all oral health issues. At our Viva Smiles Family Dental practice, we can provide professional dental exams and screenings for those serious conditions and recommend appropriate treatment options if necessary. Let us help you understand what is necessary to maintain proper oral health. Why Are Dental Exams Important?While most people fear having their teeth cleaned, concerned it will hurt, they are virtually painless. There be some discomfort while the teeth are scaled to remove tartar deposits, but this is minor, and the benefits far outweigh it. Avoiding regular dental exams means patients could have serious oral health problems and not realize it. By waiting to get help, the pain or other obvious symptoms which are typically indicative of whatever underlying condition is causing the pain has progressed to a more serious stage. By then, more invasive procedures may be necessary to correct the problems, whereas if regular dental exams had been performed the conditions may have been detected early enough to not need these. What Happens During a Dental Exam?Most exams begin with a discussion with a staff member during which medical history will be updated. We will ask what medications you are currently taking and what you are being treated for in order to maintain complete records. By assessing your overall health, our staff will know what to look for when performing a dental exam. Certain medications and certain health issues can cause specific conditions in a patient's mouth. Once those questions are out of the way, an examination of your mouth, jaw, face, and neck will be performed checking for any odd growths, discoloration, or sores. We will also utilize x-rays to better see teeth and gum structure. Using small handheld tools and mirrors, we will scrape away the tartar both above and below the gumline. It is important to remove the tartar as it will eventually turn into gum disease which can lead to tooth loss and potential bone loss in the jaw. An oral cancer screening will also be done during the exam. Early detection is the key to oral cancer treatment; it increases the patient's chances for an optimal outcome. If questionable tissue is discovered, it may be recommended a patient get a biopsy done to definitively determine whether the patient has oral cancer or not. All dental exams will be conducted by our staff at Viva Smiles Family Dental. We will make sure to be thorough and professional during the entire exam. Please call us at (512) 863-9555 to answer any questions and to schedule your appointment today. |
