There are many different types of dental examinations and assessments.  Below is a brief description of a few of them.

An initial assessment is required when a dentist takes a patient onto their list.  They make a detailed assessment which is a base line record to compare with for future dental examinations.

The assessment involves questions about your medical and dental treatment.  Followed by a gentle physical, visual and X-rays assessment of your head, neck, teeth and gums.  

The physical examination involves gently feeling your head and neck. This is highly recommended, every six months, for long term smokers.

Your teeth are counted and fillings recorded. Gums are screened for long term infections.

Further assessment is required for treatments such as root canal treatment, braces, dental implants.   

The basic philosophy is to detect problems as early as possible.  This generally makes treatment simple, predictable and less expensive.

 

Check-ups or recall dental assessments help to discover problems before they become complex to treat.  In the best case scenario, a brief discussion about adjusting your brushing or flossing technique would help to prevent a problem becoming worse.  

I would recommend a minimum of one dental scale and polish every year and a dental check up with routine x-rays every two years. More information about dental recalls can be found at :  http://www.nice.org.uk/

“  Regular dental examinations allow problems to be identified and treated simply and predictably.  Don’t allow that little niggle to develop into something which becomes painful, complicated, unpredictable and expensive to treat. “

Patient Information:   Dental Examination

Bare dental clinic

X-rays are an essential part of a dental assessment.  They help a clinician to assess parts of the teeth, gums and bone which we cannot see with a naked eye in a mirror. At the end of the examination any diagnosis and proposed treatments plans can be discussed.