What Your Dentist Does in The Few Minutes After a Routine Dental Cleaning

In the space of about 5 to 10 minutes, the dentistperforms a dental examination as part of your routine check up which covers quite a few technical actions- each one of them helps to evaluate your oral health, detect oral health issues at early stages, and/or prevent them all together.
As part of your routine dental examination your dentist will:

• Ask you about any health problems you have or medications you're taking and discuss how they might affect your oral health.
• Conduct an oral cancer screening to look for any signs of oral cancer. She will feel the area under your jaw, the sides of your neck, and the insides of your lips and cheeks, as well as examine your tongue and the roof and floor of your mouth.
• Check your bite and jaw for problems.
• Evaluate your risk of tooth decay, root decay, and gum or bone disease.
• Evaluate your need for tooth restoration or tooth replacement.
• Evaluate your overall health and oral hygiene.
• Assess how much fluoride you're getting through your diet and use of oral hygiene products, essential for maintaining healthy teeth.
• If you have prosthetic replacements - such as dentures or bridges - your dentist will examine how well they fit and discuss the need for any adjustments.
• Dental exams might also include counseling about diet, smoking and other lifestyle factors that can affect oral health.

How these procedures can benefit you:

• It can detect any dental situations at an early stage, before they get worse and need more extensive procedures (filing vs a crown)
• It can prevent dental emergencies by catching them before they happen
• It can detect early signs of oral cancer
• It can detect signs of other medical conditions, such as Diabetes or high blood pressure.

Regular dental exams are essential for the maintenance of healthy teeth and gums, as well as your overall health. And best part, they are part of your routine dental check ups.