Oral Checkup

Step One: Dental Examination

A critical step in preventative health care, dental examinations are crucial for a variety of reasons. As such, it’s something Family Smile Dental performs for every patient to ensure your smile is always in the best shape possible.

At your oral checkup, Dr. Diaz will check for cavities, gum disease and assess your gum health. Specifically, she will inspect the relationship between your upper and lower teeth, evaluating your risk of developing any oral issues. Finally, she will examine your face, neck and mouth for abnormalities.

Overall, the process is simple and easy — just another reason to pay us a visit at our dental office in San Jose!

Why Are Dental Examinations Important?

Unfortunately, many dental issues can go unnoticed unless spotted by a dentist. A dental exam can help pinpoint and prevent a variety of problems, including:

• Gum Disease: When 47% of adults 30 years and older suffer from some sort of gum disease, you can never be too careful. Since the deep spaces between the teeth and gums are prime locations for disease indicators, only a dentist can determine your true gum health during an oral checkup.
• Oral Cancers: An estimated 54,000 adults are expected to develop oral cancer in 2021. As frightening as this number is, survival rates are quite high for those who are diagnosed early on, thanks to dental exams
• Other Issues: Not every dental issue is as severe as these two, but regular visits can put a stop to them all the same. Whether you have cavities, stained teeth or abscessed gums, Dr. Diaz will make a note of anything abnormal and help you come up with a treatment plan.

Step Two: Dental Cleaning

Once your examination is complete, it’s time for you to go through the best part of our oral checkup process: a comprehensive dental cleaning! Using state-of-the-art tools, our staff will gently cleanse and polish your smile as you sit back and relax in one of our comfortable chairs. The process lasts less than an hour.

So, besides keeping your teeth white and gleaming, what does a dental cleaning do? Well, it will:

• Eliminate harmful buildups, including bacteria, tartar, and plaque.
• Polish and remove any stains on your teeth.
• Keep your gums healthy with a thorough flossing.
• Help you maintain healthy breath and walk out of our office feeling ultra-fresh.

Why Is Dental Cleaning Important

We understand that going to the dentist can be an uncomfortable thought for some, but there is mounting evidence that oral checkups are essential to maintaining a healthy body. Research shows that conditions caused by poor dental health — such as periodontitis (gum disease) — may play a role in other serious systemic diseases, like diabetes and blood cell disorders.

For this reason, dental cleaning does much more than improve your smile’s appearance. Some other benefits include:

• Prevention: Professional cleanings will limit your risk of developing gum disease, tooth decay and other complications.
• Strengthened Enamel: When teeth are left untreated, plaque and bacteria can build up, leading to gum disease and enamel damage. In contrast, regular cleaning will remove these dangers and replenish enamel.
• Cost Savings: It is no secret that large-scale operations are expensive, especially when it comes to teeth. Consistent oral checkups could keep you from requiring costly treatments by eliminating issues before they occur.

The Technology We Use at Family Smile Dental

Your smile deserves nothing but the best, which is why we’ve stocked our dental office in San Jose with some of the most innovative tools available today. Let’s walk through some of the pieces you’ll likely encounter during your visit at Family Smile Dental.

1. Digital X-ray

Safer and more efficient than conventional film x-rays, our digital dental x-rays are always well maintained and operated with expert guidance to give you total peace of mind. For those worried about potential radiation exposure, there’s nothing to fear; Dental x-rays produce up to 90% less radiation than conventional tools. That’s less than the radiation emitted when watching television for a year!

During your oral checkup, one of our team members will carefully insert a sensor into your mouth, allowing the x-ray to capture an image of your jaws or teeth. These images are then sent to a computer for Dr. Diaz to examine.

2. Panoramic X-ray

To ensure we have all bases covered, our office also offers panoramic x-rays to expand the reach of our services. Rather than placing a sensor into your mouth, these are accomplished using a special x-ray tube that rotates around your head, starting at one side and ending on the opposite.

Despite not needing any film, the machine is still able to capture a detailed image of your entire mouth using beam technology. This process usually lasts no more than 20 seconds, so we can get right back to helping you achieve the smile of your dreams.

3. Intraoral Camera

Coming in at around the size of a traditional mirror, an intraoral camera is a handheld tool that allows Dr. Diaz to view the interior of your mouth during your oral checkup. The device is essential for examining teeth and gums with more clarity than conventional mirrors provide, making for a faster diagnosis and less time spent in that chair! Like our other tools, intraoral cameras are crucial for discovering oral problems long before they can impact your health.

If you have any questions about these devices, please reach out to us by phone or visit our dental office in San Jose.