Oral Exam
A dental examination is how we find & diagnose potential problems in your mouth. For most patients, we recommend a dental exam at least once per year. If you have certain medical conditions or are at high risk for certain issues, we may recommend you have an exam more often.
Among the conditions that are checked for during an exam are caries (tooth decay), gingivitis, gum disease (periodontal disease), TMD (jaw joint disorders), grinding & clenching (bruxism), & oral cancer. With any of these problems, the earlier they are caught the easier & more affordable they are to treat. That’s why it’s important to always visit us for a checkup at the recommended interval.
Digital X-Rays
Diablo Hills Dental Excellence offers in-office digital x-rays. Digital x-rays are computer-generated images via a small electronic sensor. A picture of the tooth is instantaneously transmitted onto the monitor in the treatment room so we can see your teeth & surrounding structures immediately.
The immediacy of digital x-rays allows the dentist to assess the health of your teeth & identify potential problems right away. Because the images from digital x-rays are available immediately, the dentist can also share these images with you while you’re still in the dental chair, allowing you to see & understand your oral health condition as the dentist explains it.
Panoramic X-Rays
A digital panoramic x-ray is a 2-D scan that allows the dentist to see a computer-generated image of your entire mouth at once. The scan uses radiography (x-rays) to reveal the hard structures in your mouth (teeth & bone), which can help the dentist diagnose many dental conditions & plan treatments & dental restorations. Unlike traditional film-type x-rays, digital panoramic x-rays expose the patient to less radiation, do not involve placing films in the patient’s mouth & only take a few seconds to complete.
Intra-Oral Camera
Put simply, an intraoral camera is a small imaging device that captures photos of the inside of your mouth. In contrast to x-rays, which can show the internal structures of your teeth & jaw, an intraoral camera shows the outside of your teeth & gums in high detail. We consider the use of an intraoral camera at our practice to be a part of our basic equipment setup & we’re proud to have this powerful tool handy to help educate our patients & spot problems such as tooth decay & damaged teeth or restorations.