What To Expect During Your First Check-Up & Clean?
If this is your first time seeing the dentist or it’s been a while since you’ve seen us, there is a little overview of what to expect on the day. It is completely normal to feel a little nervous, don’t worry the dentist doesn’t expect your teeth to be perfect when we first see you. Regular check-ups and cleans are super important to keep your mouth happy and health, plus it helps us catch things early.
The Check-Up
- The first part of the check-up and clean is, you guessed it, the check -up! There the dentist will chat about past dental treatment, your medical history and concerns plus it gives you the opportunity to know us. It is a very casual conversation to get to know each other and your history.
- Next, we take 2 x-rays called bitewings which show us the back teeth. It only takes about one minutes and shows us details like bone level and decay which we can’t see with our eyes. Sometimes we find interesting things like extra teeth!
- The dentist will then check out your mouth, gums and tongue too look for any abnormalities. All your teeth will be charted with the help of the dental assistant. Every tooth has its own number and every tooth surface has its own name so you can expect to hear lots of letters and number being said, it’s just us putting what is in your mouth onto the computer.
- We love photos and have a special camera which let us take photos inside your mouth. We like you to know exactly what we can see and its always interesting seeing your teeth from a different angle!
Here are a few of the common words you might hear:
- Amalgam filling: Silver fillings that were very popular 10 years ago
- Buccal abrasion: Sounds scary but they are very common. It appears on the cheek side (Buccal) of the tooth and are caused if someone brushes too hard, wearing away at the tooth.
- Caries: Decay (black or brown spots on your teeth)
- Composite filling: White fillings that are often used now
- Occlusal wear facet: Usually caused by grinding, this is when the tooth has worn down and become flattened.
The Clean
- We use a special cleaning machine which has two parts. The first part is the tooth equivalent of a water pressure cleaner which helps clean the surfaces of the teeth and removed any stains. The water has powder mixed in containing small particles for better stain removal. It is very gentle and safe for your teeth.
- The next part is the traditional scaler instrument except modernised. We us an ultrasonic scaler which vibrates super-fast removing hard calculus super effectively. We don’t need to go everywhere with the scaler just where the calculus was too hard for the water pressure clear to get- usually around the lower teeth and between the back teeth. Sometimes it can make the teeth feel a bit cold so we make sure to give you breaks so you can warm them with your tongue.
- Finally, we will apply a strong fluoride to the teeth to help with sensitivity and freshen them up.
Lastly the dentist will go though all the photos taken and the x-rays to show exactly what we found. There the dentist will discuss any work they think needs to be done and give you a full plan of their recommendations. You are welcome to ask any question including how to floss and correctly brush your teeth.
Ready For Your Next Check-Up & Clean?
Call iDental Surgery today on (02) 9557 7775 or click here to book online.