Dental Exam

A routine dental exam is an important part in ensuring you maintain your oral health for many years to come. We perform oral cancer screenings, gum and tooth health evaluations, and we will always offer the most affordable and beneficial treatment options to our patients as part of our general dentistry services. Contact Modern Smile Dentistry to schedule your dental examination today!

“We give you a reason to smile!”

What is a Dental Exam?

Upon your initial visit to Modern Smile Dentistry, it is customary to perform a complete and thorough dental exam on every patient. Not only is this important to observe what the baseline of your oral health condition presents at, but also to be able to identify any problems, in which we can help aid in to prevent further complications. We can also evaluate prior sealants, crowns, or other prior dental restorations to ensure nothing needs to be repaired. Below we outline more detail about your initial dental examination.

radiograph examination during a dental exam

Radiographs with Digital Examination and Review of Findings

Dental radiographs are an essential part of any dental exam. This part of the assessment allows the provider(s) to be able to detect such problems as; tooth decay, tumors, cysts, bone loss, calculus build up, health of the root anatomy, location of anatomical structures such as nerves and fissures, and many other important anatomical structures.

Here at Modern Smile Dentistry, we strive to do the very best by and for our patients to protect them from unnecessary forms of radiation, with that said, we follow the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Principle where we strive to capture all of the information needed for a proper dental exam, with minimal radiographs. Moreover, we strive to keep you even more protected by shielding you with a lead apron to minimize your exposure.

Oral Cancer Screening

A very important part of our comprehensive dental exam is our oral cancer screening. Here we not only look intraorally (inside the mouth), but we also extraoral (outside the mouth), such as the head and neck region. We look for abnormalities and other concerns that may have a pathological issue. One of the most important things in any assessment is to catch the problem early to better the prognosis. By checking the inside and outside the mouth, at every dental exam.

A women smiling with perfect teeth after tooth restoration procedures

Examination of Teeth with Restorations

One very important part of the examination is to check the current restorations that are present in your oral cavity. While teeth may have been restored in the past, there are times where that restoration can be failing or have failed from environmental or behavioral actions. At times, some of these restorations can fail with simple wear and tear. We will always perform a thorough exam on each restoration to make sure that the integrity of that restoration is to our standards. Any and all findings will be reported to you with recommendations. With any diagnosis or problem, the sooner the problem can be alleviated, the better the prognosis will be.

Teeth exam being conducted during an initial dental exam

Examination of Teeth for Potential Decay

This part of the examination we strive to check every surface of every tooth for decay and or developing decay. Our goal is to catch decay early enough as to take measures to reverse minimally invasive decay (incipient caries) or try and alleviate the problem with minimally invasive forms of treatment. The sooner decay or any potential problem can be located, the better the prognosis of the tooth. We will consider all options to help protect your teeth and your oral health, therefore, fluoride tablets, or preventative measures may be recommended depending on your specific situation.

Gum Health Evaluation

One very important aspect of our review will be to check the health of your gums. This is a very crucial part of the exam, as gum health is the foundation of oral health. Dr. Nima Mashhoon will check any and all soft tissue regions inside the mouth as well as check the pocket between the teeth and gum, which will aid us in diagnosing what form of dental cleaning is most beneficial for you. Furthermore, if any lesions or periodontal (gum) diseases are observed, recommendation for treatments will be given promptly to alleviate the problem. Overall, good gum health usually results from a good home dental care routine, therefore, we will ensure you have alll the tootls and knowledge you need to keep your mouth healthy when you are not visiting us.