What your dentist checks, area by area
An exam is a structured look at your whole mouth, and it follows the same order each time so nothing is skipped. Before starting, your dentist asks about any changes to your health or medicines, since many of them affect the mouth.
Your dentist will usually call out short notes to record as they go, such as a tooth number and a surface. It can sound like a code, and you’re welcome to ask what any of it means.
- Teeth: early decay, cracks, chips, and wear from grinding or acidic drinks
- Gums: bleeding, swelling, recession, and a quick measurement of the spaces between gum and tooth
- Bite and jaw: how your teeth meet, clicking or tenderness in the jaw joints, and signs of clenching
- Soft tissues: tongue, cheeks, lips, palate, the floor of the mouth and the glands in your neck
- Existing work: the edges of fillings and crowns, bridges, implants and the fit of any dentures
Screening for mouth cancer
A routine exam includes a look at, and a gentle feel of, the soft tissues inside and around your mouth. Your dentist checks for ulcers, red or white patches, lumps and areas that feel firmer than they should. It takes a minute or two and doesn’t hurt.
Smoking, heavy drinking and certain strains of HPV raise the risk of mouth and throat cancers, and years of sun exposure can affect the lips, which is worth remembering in Perth. Most changes we notice turn out to be harmless. If something looks unusual, we may recheck it after a couple of weeks or arrange a referral for further tests.
Between visits, see us if you notice a sore, lump or patch that hasn’t healed within about two weeks.
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Why your recall interval may differ from six months
Six months is a common starting point, and it suits many people. It isn’t a fixed rule, though. Current guidance encourages dentists to set the gap between exams according to each person’s risk, and that risk can change over the years.
You may be asked to come back sooner, perhaps every three or four months, if you have had a lot of decay recently, are being treated for gum disease, have a dry mouth, smoke, have diabetes or wear braces. If your teeth and gums have been stable for a long time and your risk is low, a longer interval may be reasonable. Your dentist will explain the reasoning rather than just booking you in.
Keeping to the interval you agree on matters more than the exact number of months. Gaps that stretch to several years are when small issues most often have time to grow.
X‑rays only when they add something
A visual exam can’t see between back teeth that touch, under existing fillings or into the bone. That is where x‑rays help. Even so, they aren’t taken at every check‑up. Your dentist decides based on how long it’s been, your decay and gum history, and whether there’s a specific question to answer.
If you’ve had x‑rays elsewhere recently, ask your previous dentist to send them before your visit. They may mean fewer new images and give us something to compare against.
How the exam changes with age
For babies and toddlers, an exam is often done with your child on your lap and is mostly about counting teeth, checking gums and talking through feeding and brushing. For school-aged children we also follow how adult teeth are coming through and how the bite is developing.
Teenagers often have new risks to talk about, such as sports drinks and energy drinks, tongue or lip piercings, contact sport and wisdom teeth that are starting to form. A quick conversation at a check‑up can head off problems that would otherwise show up years later.
Adults tend to need closer attention to wear, cracked teeth and older fillings. For older patients, dry mouth from medicines and decay on exposed root surfaces become more common. People with full dentures still benefit from exams, because the gums, palate and tongue need checking even when there are no natural teeth.
If your dentist finds something
We’ll show you what we’ve seen, often on the x‑ray on the screen beside the chair, and explain what it means in plain words. Not every finding needs treatment. Shallow enamel spots, for example, may be monitored and rechecked, along with advice on fluoride and diet.
When treatment is worth considering, your dentist will talk through the options, including what may happen if you wait, and give you a written plan. You don’t have to decide on the day, and you can ask for a separate appointment just to talk it over.
Occasionally the mouth hints at something beyond dentistry. Acid wear on the inner surfaces of the teeth can point to reflux, and heavy grinding is sometimes linked with disturbed sleep. In those cases we may suggest raising it with your GP as well.
An exam and a clean are two different things
People often say ‘check‑up’ to mean the whole visit, but the exam and the scale and clean are separate parts. The exam is diagnosis: looking, measuring and deciding. The clean is treatment: removing tartar and stain.
They’re usually done in the same appointment and appear as separate items on your account. Many extras policies cover both under general dental, often up to twice a year, though limits vary between funds and levels of cover.
Check‑ups & exams, step by step
Questions about check‑ups & exams
What’s the difference between a comprehensive and a periodic exam?
A comprehensive exam is usually done at your first visit or after a long gap, and includes a full medical and dental history and a more detailed record of your mouth. A periodic exam is the shorter regular check that follows, comparing against what was recorded before.
My teeth feel fine. Is a check‑up still worth it?
Many problems, including early decay, gum disease and mouth cancer, don’t cause pain until they’re more advanced. A check‑up is designed to find them before you can feel them, when treatment is often simpler.
Do I need check‑ups if I wear full dentures?
Yes, although usually less often than people with natural teeth. Your dentist checks the gums and palate under the denture, screens for mouth cancer and looks at how the denture fits, since the jaw slowly changes shape over time.
Can I have a check‑up while pregnant?
Yes, and it’s a good idea. Hormonal changes can make gums more prone to inflammation during pregnancy. Let us know how far along you are, and your dentist will plan any x‑rays or treatment with that in mind.
Why has my dentist suggested coming back in three months?
A shorter interval usually means your dentist wants to keep a closer eye on something, such as gum pockets, active decay or a dry mouth. As things stabilise, the gap can often be lengthened again.
What should I mention at my check‑up?
Mention any new medicines or health conditions, pregnancy, sensitivity, bleeding gums, jaw pain, a dry mouth or anything that looks or feels different. Small details can change what your dentist looks for.
Does the mouth cancer check involve a biopsy?
No. The routine screening is simply looking and feeling with gloved fingers. If something needs further investigation, your dentist will explain the next step and may arrange a referral.