There are a lot of units to do a full body checkup for employees every year, and there are also a lot of people who will do regular physical checkups at their own expense, but it is not common to do a “physical checkup” for the oral cavity. Many common oral diseases (such as caries, periodontal disease, etc.) are mostly chronic diseases, the early symptoms are not obvious, easy to be ignored. Therefore, through regular oral examination, early detection and early treatment. Dentists suggest that regular oral examination should be performed at least once a year.
Inspection items
1.Maxillofacial examination
Check the lower jaw and face to observe any lumps, deformities, fistulas and tissue defects, etc. In addition, it is also necessary to observe the shape of the upper and lower lips and the red part of the lips, the relationship between the position of the front teeth and the lips, etc.
2.Temporomandibular joint examination
The normal function of the temporomandibular joint and the presence of osteoarthritic diseases are checked by the subject doing open and closed mouth movement, jaw forward movement and lateral jaw movement.
3.Gum examination
Observe the color of the gums, whether there is congestion and swelling, ulceration, pus overflow, whether there is gum growth or atrophy, whether there is root exposure, loose teeth, periodontal fistula, etc.
4.Dental examination
Observe whether there are any abnormalities in the teeth, and whether the occlusal relationship between the upper and lower teeth is normal; the color, luster, shape, size, number and defect of the teeth; the residual roots and number of teeth; whether there is tartar, whether there is percussion pain and the degree of pain, etc.
5.Tongue examination
Observe the tongue quality, tongue coating, tongue size, tongue activity, whether the tongue is centered and whether there is tremor; also check the palate, tongue and sublingual for redness, ulcers, lumps, etc.
6.Salivary gland examination
Check the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands for enlargement and pressure pain, and the parotid and submandibular glands for purulent secretions at the mouth of the duct.
7.Lymph node examination
By examining the superficial lymph nodes in the neck and head and face, we can determine whether there is inflammation or tumor in the oral cavity based on the location, size, number, hardness, mobility, whether there is pressure pain or fluctuating sensation and whether there are adhesions, etc.
In addition to detecting oral problems, the dentist will make an oral disease risk assessment based on the different ages of the patient during the oral examination.
Dental examination for children
For children who love to drink cola and eat sugar, the most important thing to worry about is, of course, tooth decay. Especially for children aged 6~7 years old, the first permanent molar (commonly known as sixth age tooth) erupts. It is the tooth that can bear the biggest chewing force and will accompany people for the whole life, so its role is very important. However, because of its large biting surface, high cusp, deep and small fossa and fissure, it is easy to accumulate food residue and form plaque and thus occur caries. Therefore, it is better to do a sulcus closure at this time to protect it early to avoid the occurrence of tooth decay.
Dental examination for middle-aged people
For middle-aged people, the biggest pain is that teeth start to loosen, which is mostly caused by periodontal disease. When people reach middle age, due to the accumulation of a lot of calculus, the gums gradually shrink, the root surface is exposed and the teeth start to loosen, so it is better to have a dental cleaning and periodontal scraping every six months to a year to remove the subgingival calculus and keep the oral health. Because calculus can stimulate the gums to become inflamed and cause gingivitis and periodontitis, and can lead to gum recession, root exposure, and loose teeth. Especially, subgingival calculus is more harmful and subgingival scaling should be performed. The main purpose of dental cleaning is to prevent and control oral diseases, not just for aesthetic purposes.
Dental checkup for pregnant women
If you are planning to get pregnant, then it is even more important to visit your dentist for a necessary oral examination. This is because some examinations and treatments are not possible for women during pregnancy. For example, many oral diseases are harmful to pregnant women and even to the fetus, and certain severe periodontitis can even lead to premature birth, so it is very important to have an oral examination before preparing for pregnancy to have a smooth pregnancy.