There are many discreet tells that are really hard to see and are near invisible to the untrained eye, but that dentists are trained to look for and detect.
During your new patient exam, there will be several processes to help our dentists understand your ongoing oral health, as a thorough understanding is imperative to providing the best treatment for you.
An individual’s oral health is of utmost importance because poor oral hygiene can cause
negative ramifications throughout many other parts of the body. Furthermore, it is much better to nip problem areas at the bud, as maintaining positive dental practices is much easier than fixing the other problems that can subsequently be caused by bad oral health.
Some problems that can develop due to poor oral health and gum disease include high blood pressure, migraines, heart disease, bone loss, digestion issues, and even cancer. These are serious issues that could develop stemming from your oral health, and can therefore be prevented by regular dental check-ups and hygienic practices.
It is for these reasons, or preventions, that a new patient exam is so important. During the new patients exam, our dentists will conduct a thorough examination of your oral health including medical history, x-rays, and soft tissue examinations. We want to know everything about your current standing so we can discern the best way to help you, whether through cleanings, checkups, teaching proper techniques, or even orthodontics where necessary.
The dental exam on your first visit will consist of a combination of questions and a visual examination to create a coherent picture of your oral health. The different parts of the examination can be broken down as follows:
Our dentists need to know everything in your medical history, from any conditions or diseases you may have, to medication and allergies. It’s critical that our dentists find out if there’s anything in your medical history that could cause an adverse effect during any dental treatments. It can also shed light on why your oral health is the way it is, such as how persons with osteoporosis can experience an increased risk of tooth loss.
Our dentists will examine many parts of your oral teeth. Here at Beacon Smiles Dental, we look for chipped, broken, stained, and missing teeth, as well as cavities, growths/cysts, improper positioning, and mobility. All of these features can be caused by various problems, so it is important to identify these features before any treatment plan is developed.
During the new patients’ exam, we search the gums, cheeks, lips, roof/floor of the mouth, tongue, and throat for anything out of the ordinary, i.e. ulcers, tumours, or other signs of oral cancer.
If you don’t already have up-to-date X-Rays, our office will take them for an additional charge. X-rays help xpose issues that may otherwise be hidden and hard to see even for the dentist. These issues can include cavities under fillings, jaw health/alignment, wisdom teeth, and bone loss from gum disease and additional problems that many not be easily seen on the surface.
Digital photos not only provide interesting before and after comparisons to see how we’ve helped you transform your smile, but it’s important to document facial orientation including your smile, bite, and other features.
Clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth can not only create unnecessary wear and tear on the teeth but also migraines and hearing loss. We will examine the jaw and its joints, such as the temporomandibular joint, ensuring everything is working properly and connecting nicely.
Gum health is so very important to an individual’s overall health, and there are many features we must look for outside of the commonly dreaded gingivitis. Gum disease can cause serious issues if left untreated, such as tooth and bone loss. Therefore, we look for tooth mobility, inflammation, receding gums, periodontal pockets, and a measurement of the depth of the gums around the teeth.
Once we have completed all the necessary checks and taken all our measurements and photos, we can review our findings with you to discern the best treatment plan. There will often be several options for treatment, such as for alignment, overcrowding, and bite issues we can offer Braces, Invisalign, or Myobrace.
Furthermore, we will discuss in further detail the possible consequences of leaving certain conditions untreated, as for dental treatment it really is the sooner the better.
Lastly, we can provide information on preventative measures, such as proper flossing, that can stop or delay a lot of the more common issues, like gingivitis. Remember, we need to have a perfect understanding of your oral health so as to understand which treatment is best suited to your individual needs. The new patient examination is thorough and methodical, and be prepared to answer questions on medical history, pain/discomfort, visual changes, and even if you’re nervous about the dentist. Visit the Canadian Dental Association’s website for more details about dental exams.
Oral health is an important part of an individual’s overall health, as dental issues can affect many other areas of the body such as digestion and the frequency of headaches and migraines.
Booking an appointment with our dentists is easy, just phone us at +1 (403) 262-3130 or book online today!
At Beacon Smiles Dental, we follow the 2020 Alberta Dental Fee Guide, which means the entire examination will cost $105.92. Additionally, if you need an emergency dental exam, our fees follow at $67.05.
We will conduct a series of dental examinations and tests to discern a perfect picture of your current oral health. This includes a full dental examination and review of medical history, x-rays and photos, oral cancer screening (soft tissue exam), jaw and muscle exam, gum exam, and fixing damaged teeth.
An individual’s oral health can affect many other aspects of their body such as digestion issues, migraines, and even heart disease or diabetes. You’re only given one set of adult teeth, and it is extremely important to keep them healthy and clean. Issues left unattended now have the possibility of becoming much larger issues in the future. It’s never too late to start improving your oral health, so book an appointment online or by phone today!
Beacon Smiles Dental is a family and cosmetic dental clinic. We provide orthodontic services such as Invisalign, Braces, and Myobrace. We are located near Sarcee Trail NW in Beacon Hills. New patients welcome, evening and weekend appointments.
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