Usefulness of a Dental Exam

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Usefulness of a Dental Exam
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• One of the first procedures that patients
  receive when they come in the dental office is a
  dental exam. When a person takes his seat on the
  chair, he will be asked to open his mouth and
  with a mirror in hand, to check status of the
  oral cavity.

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• A complete dental exam is made up of a series of
  steps that enables a dental professional to
  detect the presence of problems so that a proper
  dental treatment can be given.

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• Some patients may regard the dental exam as
  excessive and unnecessary. Some patients come
  into the clinic with a specific chief complaint
  and they want these problems addressed right
  away.

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• A thorough dental exam is always in order, if
  not to properly assess the nature of the chief
  complaint, it is essential so that unseen
  problems are detected earlier on.

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A thorough dental exam will consist of the
following

• Oral Examination In the oral examination, a few
  things are performed. First there is visual
  inspection, where the dentist passes through
  every tooth surface and every area of soft tissue
  in the mouth to detect signs of problems and
  abnormality that may indicate the presence of
  disease. Using a mouth mirror and an explorer,
  everything is checked.

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• Palpation and percussion is also performed.
  Palpation is the process of running one or two
  fingers across an area to feel for bumps and
  growths along the soft tissue area. Percussion is
  performed with the blunt end of the mouth mirror
  tapped onto the surface of a few teeth, to
  confirm the presence of periapical growth or
  lesions.

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• Dental Photography Photographs are taken for
  many reasons. First it is taken to increase
  visualization, and may be done by a normal camera
  or an intraoral device. Second it is performed to
  be used during patient education, to give the
  patient a better means to grasp what is going on
  in his mouth. Third the photographs may be kept
  for record purposes not merely for the diagnosis
  of disease.

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• Dental Radiography When the problem is not
  detected through visual inspection, a more
  definitive way of diagnosis oral condition will
  be to take a dental radiograph. There are
  different types of x-rays used in dentistry, each
  one takes a different picture and serves a
  specific purpose. It gives a two-dimensional
  picture of the tooth, the bone and all pertinent
  structures, in a view that is unseen by the naked
  eye.

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• Dental Impression and Casting Another procedure
  performed in the dental office during an
  examination is the impression taking and casting.
  This is to create a three-dimensional
  representation of the upper and lower jaws in
  occlusion. It serves a useful purpose in
  diagnostic procedures in orthodontics, dental
  implants and the fabrications of dental crowns
  and dentures.

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• Laboratory Testing Although this is not a common
  practice, some dental examinations may require
  the need for laboratory testing to better
  identify a symptom of a condition. With
  instructions from your dentist, certain tests
  will be taken to be able to make a thorough
  assessment of your true health condition.

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• One or all of these procedures shall help the
  dentist in the diagnosis and treatment of
  disease. It is a crucial part of every dental
  appointment. It is never skipped and never
  rushed.