What is a dental examination?

In an examination, your dentist will check how healthy your teeth, gums and other oral tissues are.

You and your dentist will then discuss the options that are available to you and decide which treatment, if any, is most suitable for you.

What will this involve?

During the examination, your dentist will:

Check your face and neck and jaw joints to ensure that they are healthy.

Look at places inside and around your mouth, which you may find hard to see. For example, your tongue, the floor of your mouth and other oral soft tissues need to be checked.

An oral cancer screening is a routine part of all our oral examinations.

Check that your teeth and gums are healthy and identify whether there are any signs of decay, damage or gum disease.

If necessary, take x-rays to gain more information about your teeth and gums.

Check out any areas that you the patient are concerned about.

Why are regular dental examinations important?

It is important for you to have regular oral examinations, so that your dentist can help you to maintain a healthy mouth and also to check for any early signs of dental problems, such as decay or gum disease.

It is also important to check for any early tissue changes in the tongue or lining of the mouth, that might need regular monitoring or further checks.

This will enable your dentist to rectify any problem before it gets too complicated and requires extensive treatment.