Things Your Dentist Looks For During Your Visit
When you take a visit to your family dentist, you may think you’re just there for a dental cleaning and to be reminded of how you can improve your oral hygiene throughout the year. While these things are both true, they don’t encompass the full scope of what your dentist is doing as you sit in the chair twice a year. Their role in your overall health, and the health of your teeth, is far greater than you might initially think. Most of what they do is done silently, and without comment, unless a complication arises, that needs some attention from you or another medical professional. So what are these mysterious things your dentist is doing? Let’s find out.
Careful Inspection Of Each Tooth
This is one of the obvious ones. Your dentist is carefully checking the health of each tooth in your mouth. They’re looking for misalignments, cavities, cracks, fractures, signs of infection, and where you need to spend more time brushing. Tooth sensitivity to temperature is also something they may test while you’re in the chair.
Evaluating Your Bite
One of the things your dentist probably doesn’t mention he’s looking for is how your bite comes together. As we grow and develop, there can be changes in the alignment of our bite that can have serious impacts on our dental health. Cross-bite, over-bite, and under-bite are just a few of the things your dentist is looking for.
Your Salivary Glands Will Be Checked
Insufficient saliva production can have an impact on the health of your teeth. Your saliva contains enzymes that prevent the growth of bacteria that are harmful to your oral health and balance the ph of your mouth. Without it, your dental health could be in danger.
Inspecting Your Tongue
Your tongue can tell your dentist a lot about your overall health. If your taste buds are larger than is normal for you, the texture of your tongue has changed, or it’s larger or smaller than normal they’re going to notice. These can be signs of serious health conditions, including:
Checking You For Oral Cancer
One of the things that your dentist is a silent vanguard against is protection against oral cancer. As they inspect your teeth, gums, lips, cheeks, and tongue, they’re also looking for signs of this pernicious disease. If indicators of oral cancer are found, they’ll alert you and advise you on the next steps to seek treatment.
These represent just a small group of the things your dentist does for you while you sit in their chair. These oral health experts are on the job, ensuring that you live a long and happy life, within their sphere of influence. If dental decay is out of control, your bite isn’t quite right, or oral cancer rears its ugly head, they’ll be there to help you get things back to normal. Call Dr. Scott T Simpson at Appletree Dentistry to schedule your next appointment and enjoy the benefits of regular dental visits. We proudly serve Tigard, OR and the surrounding community, and have room for you in our patient family.
