theearthdental.com
ROUTINE EXAMS
We are pleased to offer routine dental care to you and your family ensure a healthy smiles. At every examination, after reviewing your general medical status, we thoroughly check the health of your teeth and gums, as well as screening the soft tissues (tongue, lips, cheeks etc) for any problems such as mouth cancer. X-rays may be recommended to aid correct diagnosis, we have the very latest digital x-ray equipment installed, thus ensuring the X-ray dose will be the lowest possible. If treatment is advised, or cosmetic treatment agreed upon, a written treatment plan and estimate will be issued. You will always be given time to ask questions and discuss any dental problems you may have.
While the services you’ll receive may vary, here’s what you can expect at your first dental checkup:
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A review of your medical history. Tell your dentist about your diet or medications as these may impact your treatment and oral health
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A conversation with your dentist about any concerns you have regarding your teeth, mouth, or overall oral health—we encourage you to ask questions
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An oral exam, including a visual gum tissue check and visual oral cancer scan
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X-rays, if necessary, to see your teeth below the gum line
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A comprehensive treatment plan, with recommended treatment and ongoing care from your dentist
Why Dental Check Ups Are So Important
The problem we have is that many of us ignore the health of our mouth, especially when we compare it to our overall body health. We allow problems to develop before we actually visit the dentist.
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Allowing your gums to bleed helps create cavities and inflamed gums – pockets develop under the gum-line filled with bacteria that eat away the teeth and eventually the bone causing tooth loss. Visiting the dentist regularly can ensure your gum health is properly maintained and early treatment prevents serious problems developing.
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Tooth pain is most often caused from cavities forming. Once a cavity reaches the stage where it is causing pain then root canal treatment (or possibly tooth loss) is more likely, or an extensive filling. Regular check-ups ensure that the beginnings of a filling can be identified, treated and additional brushing routines created.
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What happen when I see dentist?Your first dental visit involves an overall physical examination of your teeth, gums and jaw and the tissues surrounding them. Teeth are cleaned and polished. They are checked for other potential problems. X rays are taken to diagnose problems associated with the structures of the teeth and jaw and to reveal cavities or pits that cannot be seen through visual examinations alone.
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How often should I see dentist?Both adults and children should visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend. For those with certain medical conditions, your dental team may want to see you more often. It is also important to remember that certain types of medication may impact our oral health too, for instance, patients who have ‘dry mouth’ caused by medication may be more likely to get tooth decay and will need to visit their dental team more often.
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How much will it cost me to see dentist?We believe our prices offer you quality dental care at a sensible price. To discuss our current prices in more detail please contact the reception front desk team. Overall dental check-ups will dramatically decrease the potential for all oral health problems becoming serious. They are also cost effective compared to paying for expensive major dental works such as tooth replacements, crowns and gum repair.
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How quickly can I see dentist?This depends on the length of time you need an appointment for, and how busy the appointment books are. Dental examination appointments are normally available within a few days, but longer appointments may need to be booked a few weeks ahead. If you are in pain we will see you as soon as possible and will normally offer you an appointment the same day.
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Do we need to have X-ray taken?A full mouth set of x-rays play a key role in diagnosing problems associated with the structures of the teeth, jaw and the mouth. For adult patients like you, x-rays can show areas of decay that may not be visible with visual examinations alone. It is used to find cracks, possible bone loss during periodontal (gum) diseases and other abnormalities like cysts or any other changes linked with metabolic and systemic illnesses. X-rays are also used in planning and preparing dental works such as orthodontics and implants. For children, x-rays are more commonly used to monitor tooth growth and development and to detect and prevent the early signs of tooth decay.
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Is dental X-ray safe?It is natural that many people are wary about any x-rays as there is a stigma attached to them regarding exposure to radiation. Not too long ago, every member of the EARTH Dental wore a radiation sensor device/badge everyday at work for a seven month period. Each month the badges were sent to the radiation testing lab to be assessed. A detailed report was sent to us showing all the readings and the level of radiation was so minimal that there nothing to be concerned about. Today's patients now receive lower doses of radiation than in the past. This reduction in dose is due to better equipment, faster x-ray films and increased use of digital radiography. US Studies have revealed that the levels of radiation to which patients are exposed with a single dental x-ray is 0.0067% of the level of exposure from a mammogram or 0.5% of the level of exposure from an aeroplane flight from the equivalent of Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok. As you know, we only take x-rays when it is necessary to do so as X-rays are a vital diagnostic tool in dentistry and assist in providing information about a patient's oral health such as early-stage tooth decay, periodontal disease, infections, problems in surrounding bone or some types of tumours; revealing potential problems in the teeth that simply cannot be observed by the naked eye.