Professional Dental Exams

Every patient enters a dental practice with the goal of having a maintainable, healthy mouth .A new patient exam must identify all active factors contributing to the breakdown or oral health or function.

As we all know, other systems in the body have proven to affect oral health, and vice versa. That’s why it is important to always educate and escort patients on their journeys to health.

We always encourage a complete exam because gives us the opportunity to identify and communicate to patients every sign and symptom of instability within the masticatory system.

The primary objective of any treatment plan is to provide the best, most conservative solution to patients’ problems.

At the end of the consultation, we will emphasize patients immediate dental needs: so, they will know that  issues left untreated will only progress into more complicated problems, which may require additional treatments, cost more, and cause undesirable outcomes. For example, caries into dentin will only worsen with time. Caught early enough, a simple direct restoration will restore a patient to health. But left untreated, the decay will progress. In the future, a patient may require a root canal and crown, or worse yet- the tooth may not be restorable and need extraction.

Unfortunately, 50 percent of uninsured and 30 percent of insured Americans skipped seeking annual dental care to save money. Although money is certainly an issue, dental neglect can definitely contribute to other issues. This is what individuals should understand: they need to practice daily oral hygiene as well as seek professional dental exams and cleanings in order to ensure that mouths and teeth stay in tip-top condition.

References 

1. Preamble. American Dental Association website. http://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/principles-of-ethics-code-of-professional-conduct/preamble. Accessed June 29, 2017.
2. ADA statement on dental patient rights and responsibilities. American Dental Association website. http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/About%20the%20ADA/Files/statements_ethics_patient_rights.pdf. Published August 2009. Accessed June 29, 2017.
3. https://www.1800dentist.com/