Straight Teeth in Less Time

What Really Happens At A Dental Checkup?

29 March 2016

Lois Murray

Getting a checkup at the dentist isn't a particularly fun experience, but it is extremely important if you care about the health of your teeth. However, it isn't always clear exactly what happens when you go in for a checkup. Sure, your dentist looks around in your mouth and maybe gives you some X-rays, but what are they actually looking for? To help you get a better idea of what happens when you get a dental checkup, here are explanations for some of the most common tests:

X-rays

Getting X-rays at the dentist is often one of the strangest components of a checkup. After all, what exactly can your dentist see with an X-ray that they can't see just by looking at your mouth? The answer is that X-rays allow your dentist to get a comprehensive picture of what's going on underneath the surface.

For example, X-rays can be used to accurately identify decay in your teeth, even if that decay can't be seen on the surface. You might not even have felt any discomfort from the decay, but if that decay does spread, then it could affect the root of your tooth, which would result in a huge amount of pain and would force you to get a root canal or have the tooth removed.

You might be a bit worried about the radiation element of dental X-rays, but there is nothing to fear. These tests are completely safe and the dose of radiation is far too low to deal any real damage.

Mirror Examination

With a mirror and a small metal probe, your dentist can pretty much check every bit of your exposed teeth in a very short period of time. When looking around in your mouth, they are looking for areas where enamel is wearing thin or decay is obviously spreading. The mirror allows them to easily check the backside of your teeth, which can have dramatically different levels of enamel and decay when compared to the front of your teeth.

They will also check on the gums around your teeth, since infections there can rapidly lead to problems for your teeth. Infected gums can compromise your teeth, causing them to fall out in the most extreme of circumstances.

Oral Cancer Tests

Depending on how old you are, you might also be at risk for oral cancer. If you are over 40, then there is a good chance that your dentist will feel around your face, neck, and mouth to see if there are any obvious signs of cancer. Although these may seem like extremely simplistic measures, they are very effective at detecting early signs of oral cancer.

In general, you dentist is looking for anomalies in your mouth, such as whitish patches, lumps, or unusually crusty areas. While these may seem totally harmless to you, they can actually represent the early stages of oral cancer. If you're looking for a dentist in your area, visit Four Corners Dental Group Fairbanks.

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