A periodic oral evaluation is performed each time you visit the office to serve as a benchmark of your overall health, and to see if anything has changed with your oral health since your last regular visit.

During a dental examination, we will perform a visual examination, and most likely x-rays.
We may also perform a visual and palpation examination of lymph nodes throughout the face and neck looking for any abnormalities, pain, or flexibility within the nodes that could be markers for disease.  A similar examination of your lips, gums, tongue and other internal mouth surfaces will be conducted, again looking for various signs of illness or disease.

Our office is equipped with powerful, patient-friendly digital radiography. Digital radiography is one of the best investments our practice has ever made. Digital sensors are more responsive than film so that less radiation is required to produce a digital image. Digital radiography and that the radiation dose from digital X-rays can be as little as 10 percent of what she would be exposed to with film-based radiography.

The benefits of X-rays are a well-known tool in the dental field. They help us diagnose common problems, such as cavities, gum disease and some types of infections. Radiographs allow us to see inside a tooth and beneath the gums to assess the health of the bone and supporting tissues that hold teeth in place.

There are a number of X-rays a dental professional can order. The type of X-ray needed will depend greatly on the type of care the patient needs to receive. The schedule for receiving radiograph examinations at recall visits varies according to your age, risk for disease, and signs and symptoms.

Panoramic- Generally recommended as a part of initial treatment, and for developing children, particularly if orthodontic treatment is being pursued.

Bite-Wings- Generally recommended as a regular part of treatment once per year.
Full Mouth Series (FMX)- Generally recommended as a regular part of treatment once every 3-5 years.