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 Oral
Dental Examination
The Key to Dental Health
FREE ORAL EXAM for all NEW patients – seen that
ad before?? So what do
dentists mean when they say "ORAL EXAM?"
What is an oral exam?
Well, oral exam does not just mean looking at your teeth to check for
decay and whether or not your teeth need cleaning. It is the most important step of
your first dental visit and every subsequent follow-up visit.
How long does the oral exam take?
Be prepared to spend a minimum of 20-30 minutes to allow for the initial
examination.
What happens during the oral exam?
Dr. Marshall begins with the examination of the soft tissues in your
mouth which include the oral mucosa, the gums, the hard and soft palate, the
tongue, the floor of your mouth, and the cheek mucosa, and then examines the
hard tissues which include the teeth and the underlying bone. She checks for
the health of these tissues, detects any abnormal findings and uses adjuvants to aid in diagnosis. There are several tools available in modern
dentistry to assist in the examination and diagnosis of the oral cavity,
some of which include:
- DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHS – X-rays taken with a sensor and displaying the
image on the computer.
- RADIOVESIOGRAPHY - Captures colored images from the patient’s mouth
via an intra-oral camera and transfers them to a computer. These images
can be zoomed, rotated and worked upon.
- WAVELENGTH DEPENDENT FIBRE-OPTIC TRANSILLUMINATION - a special type of
camera (charged coupled device camera) used to assess the mineral loss of
the tooth.
- ARGON LASER FLUORESCENCE – argon laser used to diagnose caries and
measure the level of cariogenic bacterial activity.
- CARIES DETECTION DYES.
After a thorough clinical examination, and relevant past medical and
dental history, Dr. Marshall comes to the diagnosis of the condition of the
oral cavity and plans the most suitable treatment in the best interest of
the patient.
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