Dental Examinations and X-Rays

A dental examination starts with listening to the patient, talking with them to learn what it is they are concerned about and what they would like to have done.  Typically dental xrays and intraoral photographs are used to help with the diagnosis and discussion.  Often patients are concerned about radiation from dental xrays, but with today digital xrays, this is much less of a concern than in the past.  In fact a complete dental series (16 views) has been compared to the radiation dose of a one hour plane flight or a hour at our local beach! 

 

At the initial examination, we will look for cavities, fractured teeth, mobile teeth, damaged prior dental restorations, periodontal disease, TMJ issues, and screen for oral cancer lesions.   You should expect three things to happen before any treatment – a discussion of the situation, to have all questions answered, and a written statement of the expected treatment and costs.

Some cases are more complex and may require a second visit to adequately diagnose the case. In this case, there will typically be a later visit a week later to allow time for a more intensive evaluation of the data as well as a detailed written statement of the findings and recommendations.

 

You will see Dr Bailey at each step along the way and there will always be an opportunity to ask questions.