3 Things You Might Not Have Noticed at Your Last Dental Checkup

As a layperson, it can be easy to think about dentistry in pretty simple terms; it’s all cavities, root canals, and dealing with gum disease, right? However, the truth is that your dentist is an expert in every facet of the mouth, and the work that they do is incredibly complex.

Even at a simple checkup, there’s a lot that your dentist is doing. Here are a few things that you might not have even known were happening at a regular exam.

Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer is unfortunately rather common, and given the severity of the condition, it’s critically important to catch its symptoms early if you’re trying to mitigate its impact. This is one of the reasons why every dentist performs an oral cancer screening at every single checkup.

If you’ve never noticed before, it’s probably because the exam takes only moments. The dentist quickly checks the mouth for sores, both visually and by feeling with gloved hands. They also look at the neck for anything that looks like swollen lymph nodes.

Checking the Alignment of your Bite

Another issue that people often face is TMJ disorder, which is a misalignment of the joints that hold the jaw in place. This leads to jaw pain and clicking, as well as headaches, nausea, and even vertigo.

Interestingly, your dentist can often tell when your jaw is misaligned just by looking. A major part of this is the fact that TMJ disorders are heavily associated with teeth grinding, which can wear down the teeth. If you’ve noticed jaw pain recently, it may be a good idea to talk to your dentist about the issue at a checkup.

Talking About Proper Oral Hygiene

As you can imagine, dentists are usually able to get a good sense of what your dental hygiene routine looks like just by seeing the state of your mouth. This being the case, a checkup is typically a good opportunity to talk to your dentist about areas of your dental hygiene where you could be lacking, allowing them to walk you through what you could be doing better. If you incorporate their advice, your next dental checkup will go much more smoothly!

About Our Practice

At Blanco Circle Dental Care, we design our care to be truly comprehensive. We understand that there’s more to people than just their teeth, which is why we endeavor to promote people’s overall wellness in every way that we possibly can. We have two unbelievable dentists on staff and an experienced team of hygienists that will help you completely change the way that your smile looks and feels.

If you have any questions about a dental checkup, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (831) 422-7838.