Once you have met our team on your first visit and completed your medical history, your dentist will collect you from the patient lounge to begin your dental examination. Everyone can achieve a beautiful smile, irrespective of age, and this is the first step.
The examination is a comprehensive 8 Point Healthy Mouth Assessment:
- Oral hygiene. A thorough examination of the areas where bacteria and toxins may have collected in your mouth
- Existing restorations. We will assess the health, durability, function and life expectancy of any existing dental work in your mouth.
- Bite and jaw. We will assess your occlusion (how your teeth meet and move across each other) and jaw joints and discuss any issues that could be wearing your teeth down or causing tooth fractures, headaches, or broken restorations
- Medical history. Your overall health and dental history will be evaluated to determine if anything less obvious is affecting your dental health, including cardiac disease, high blood pressure and diabetes
- Oral cancer check. We use a VELscope to identify any abnormal oral tissue for a thorough oral cancer screening
- Smile analysis. We listen to your wants and needs and explain the options to improve your smile. Sometimes the smallest of changes can make a huge difference to the way you feel
- Using intra-oral cameras, we can help you understand dental concerns and actually see any problems that need to be addressed. It’s quicker and easier for you
- X-rays. Low dose digital x-rays are often used to check areas of tooth and bone that are invisible to the naked eye
Poor oral health can be linked to your lifestyle and so we may ask about whether you smoke, drink alcohol regularly or exercise. Disease, stress and bad nutrition can be factors too.
Rather than pointing a finger, our aim is simply to understand your lifestyle in order to give you the best chance of a beautiful smile that lasts.
After your examination we will either give you a clean bill of health or a diagnosis and recommend a treatment.
We advise most of our patients to visit our hygiene spa following their examination to have their teeth and gums professionally cleaned.
If you want to stay with Portmore for your future dental examinations and hygiene appointments we recommend that you join our monthly membership scheme, where you can pay monthly for your routine dental health care and receive a 15% discount off treatments.