We want to make your first visit with us a pleasant experience. You are not alone if you feel anxious about a visit to the dentist. We understand your concerns and strive to make every visit comfortable. Our first objective is to meet, greet you and ask how we can help you. Your goals for your oral health are extremely important to us. We will take a series of necessary x-rays to evaluate for decay and bone loss. We utilize digital radiography to see details more clearly and make adjustments that are a tremendous help to our diagnosis. These x-rays also tell us about periodontal disease and bone loss. This will help us determine what type of gum treatment you will need. We will also take a panoramic x-ray to get a comprehensive view of your mouth, including your teeth, jawbone, jaw joint and the sinuses. Because early detection is vital to surviving oral cancer, we will also perform an oral cancer screening at your first visit. We will feel for lumps or abnormal tissue changes on your neck and inside your mouth. We will also thoroughly examine the soft tissues in your mouth, espically the most frequent oral cancer sites: your tongue, the floor of your mouth, your soft palate, your lips and your gums. We also perform a thorough examination with a periodontal probe to detect bone loss and gum disease. The probe takes a measurement from the bottom of the pocket where it is attached to the tooth, to the top of the gums. A probe reading of more than three millimeters is a sign of periodontal disease. The deeper the pocket the more severe the gum disease. Bleeding, which sometimes happens when we measure your gums, is also a sign of infection. During your examination we will also inspect your bite. A healthy bite allows all of your teeth to hit simultaneously and evenly when your jaw joint is seated into its proper position at the base of your skull. In this position, your chewing muscles are also contracting evenly. We want you to know how and why we do these evaluations because we believe it is important for you to be an active participant in your diagnosis and treatment. We welcome any questions or concerns you might have any time during your treatment.
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