Comprehensive Exams

A comprehensive dental exam is different from a 2-minute routine exam that happens during each dental visit. During a comprehensive exam, the dentist performs an all-inclusive assessment of your oral structures, as well as your head, neck and throat in order to have a complete understanding of the patient’s oral health.

A comprehensive exam should be performed for each new patient. Existing patients should also request this exam every 3-5 years. Here is what’s included:

• Review of medical history
• Review of dental history
• Extraoral tissue assessment
• Intraoral tissue assessment
• Oral cancer screening
• Evaluation of the teeth and any restorations
• Radiographic exam
• Periodontal exam
• Esthetic exam
• Documentation
• Diagnosis and treatment plan

After gathering all the information from the various evaluations, a treatment plan will be created including recommendations of the necessary dental work, which can range from regular cleaning to dental crowns/ dentures/ root canal.