Digital Imaging
Oral ExaminationL The Key to Dental Health
FREE ORAL EXAM for all NEW patients – seen that ad before ?? So what do dentists mean when they say ‘ORAL EXAM’? Well, oral exam does not just mean looking at your teeth to check for decay and whether or not you need cleaning. It is the most important step of your first dental visit and every subsequent follow up visit. Be prepared to spend a minimum of 20-30 minutes to allow for the initial examination.
Dr. Marshall begins with the examination of the soft tissues in your mouth which include the oral mucosa, the gums, the hard and soft palate, the tongue, the floor of your mouth, and the cheek mucosa and then comes to the hard tissues which include the teeth and the underlying bone. She checks for the health of these tissues, detects any abnormal findings and uses adjuvants to aid in diagnosis. There are several tools available in modern dentistry to assist in the examination and diagnosis of the oral cavity, some of which include:
• DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHS – X-rays taken with a sensor and displaying the image on the computer.
• RADIOVESIOGRAPHY - Captures colored images from the patient’s mouth via an intra-oral camera and transfers them to a computer. These images can be zoomed, rotated and worked upon.
• WAVELENGTH DEPENDENT FIBRE-OPTIC TRANSILLUMINATION - a special type of camera (charged coupled device camera) used to assess the mineral loss of the tooth.
• ARGON LASER FLUORESCENCE – argon laser used to diagnose caries and measure the level of cariogenic bacterial activity.
• CARIES DETECTION DYES.
After a thorough clinical examination, and relevant past medical and dental history, Dr. Marshall comes to the diagnosis of the condition of the oral cavity and plans the most suitable treatment in the best interest of the patient.
