First Exam
To evaluate your oral health, we first need sufficient dental records. Depending on the case, we might need more or less information.
Important
If you are a first time user, you will have to do the first exam.
The first exam includes everything we need to know to make a diagnosis for most common cases.
Six steps of the first exam
- Current complaint
- Dental history
- Medical history
- Dental photos
- X-ray images
- Clinical tests
The collected data from the current complaint, dental and medical history are thoroughly analyzed in order to provide an insight into the oral as well as general health of the patient.
Diagnostic tests, radiographic images and dental photography protocol consisting of a series of images of teeth and oral mucosa give an objective and detailed view of the condition of the tissues mentioned above.
Current complaint
When you register or create a new case, first you will have to fill in Current Complaint Questionnaire.
Here we want to know what bothers you at this moment. Tell us about any pain you are experiencing, or a lesion in your gums or other soft tissue. You can also specify some other important things.
Dental history
As a part of your first exam, you have to provide some information about your Dental history.
Here we want to know more detail about your previous dental treatments and possible difficulties during the treatment as well as possible injuries of the head and mouth area
This information is important because it can greatly influence the dental diagnosis.
Medical history
As a part of your first exam, you have to provide some information about your Medical history.
Here we want to know more details about your general health, the illnesses you have, the medications you are taking, as well as your eating and other habits.
Very often, systemic diseases are accompanied by oral manifestations of the disease. Also, many medications can cause side effects in the oral cavity. This information, combined with the results of clinical tests, dental photographs and X-rays, can be crucial in making a diagnosis.
Photos
Dental photographs are not the same thing as dental radiographs (also known as x-rays). Since we can't see you in person, we require lifelike photos of your mouth. In your first exam, we will do a full set of dental photos which we can use as many times as needed.
The dental photography protocol represent a series of diagnostic images that record in detail the condition of all structures of the oral cavity: teeth and all soft tissues. Each structure of the oral cavity is photographed from different angle in order to obtain as much information as possible that could be of diagnostic importance.
A series of images of teeth and dental arches provide a great insight into the condition of dental crowns, the position of teeth in dental arches, their relationship to adjacent teeth as well as the relationship between the upper and lower dental arch. These high resolution images allow us to visualize very small details, which are very valuable not only in the diagnosis of dental caries, but also in the evaluation of dental occlusion. Soft tissue images allow detailed visualization of the mucosa of the lips, cheeks, tongue and palate as well as mucosa that covers mouth floor.
X-rays
Initial x-rays
- Panoramic xray (ortopantomogram)
- Right posterior teeth bitewing x-ray
- Left posterior teeth bitewing x-ray
Panoramic xray (ortopantomogram)
Panoramic x ray represents a radiographic image of the upper and lower jaw in their entirety.
This image provides insight not only into the condition of the teeth, but also into the condition of the supporting bone of the upper and lower jaw and all their anatomical structures.
Right posterior teeth bitewing x-ray
This radiograph represent radiographic image of the crowns of the upper and lower right posterior teeth.
Left posterior teeth bitewing x-ray
This radiograph represent radiographic image of the crowns of the upper and lower left posterior teeth.
Bitewing images provide good visualization of dental crowns, especially their proximal surfaces and surrounding alveolar bones. These images are suitable for:
- diagnosing small caries lesions of proximal surfaces, which are difficult to detect only by clinical examination
- evaluating structure and level of alveolar bone
- for rewieving existing restorations.
Clinical tests
Clinical tests
- Palpation
- Percussion
- Teeth sensibility test
- Sextant periodontal probing
- Tooth mobility index
Palpation
Palpation is a clinical test that determines the existence and exact location of pain in the area of the gums and soft tissue. It is performed by gently massaging over the gums and soft tissues in the projection of the dental roots with tips of the fingers.
Percussion
Percussion is clinical test performed by tapping the tooth surface with the handle of a dental mirror. The purpose of this test is to determine the presence of pain on percussion that may indicate the presence of disease in the periapical area of the tooth.
Teeth sensibility test
The dental sensitivity test is a clinical test that evaluates the sensory response of the pulp to a cold stimulus. This test is a valuable aid in diagnosing a pulp disease. It is performed by applying a cold stimulus to the tooth surface.
Sextant periodontal probing
Sextant periodontal probing is a screening test for periodontal disease. It is performed with an instrument called a periodontal probe, which is used to measure the depth of the gingival pockets of all teeth in the sextant.
Tooth mobility index
The tooth mobility index is a clinical test used to measure the degree of tooth mobility. This test is performed with two dental mirrors by placing the handle ends on the inner and outer surfaces of the tooth, and gently pressing back and forth to see if there is any movement.