Comprehensive Dental Care

For an Initial Comprehensive Dental Exam

Comprehensive dental care is looking at the mouth, teeth and gums as a unit of soft tissues in movement with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Rather than looking at each part in isolation, this type of dental care looks at all aspects that affect our muscles, our bite, jaw and how we chew. This type of dental care is extremely important in diagnosing a range of conditions that can impact a person’s quality of life. Even if you’re not presently experiencing any symptoms, comprehensive exams can give you insight on problems that can develop in the future.A dentist versed in comprehensive dental care in Toronto will examine dental reasons that could be causing the following:

• Neck and jaw pain

• Headaches and migraines

• Stress in the mouth or on teeth

• Worn out teeth

• Gum inflammation, pain or bleeding

• Dental restorations that are not working effectively

Comprehensive Exams

Comprehensive dental care pairs a detailed review of your medical and dental history with specific exams to determine problems or abnormalities of the teeth, jaw and soft tissues. They include…

• Occlusal exams — Occlusal exams particularly look at how our teeth fit together when we bite down. Occlusion, or uneven wear patterns of the teeth, is a regular problem that is often revealed and treated as part of comprehensive dental care. Bite problems that are treated range from underbites, overbites, crossbites, jaw problems and TMJ disorders.

• Oral cancer screening — A visual screening using a velscope helps to determine the health of your soft tissues and determine if there are any signs of oral cancer to watch for.

• X-ray exams — Diagnostic X-rays complete a thorough picture of the health of your teeth and bones to highlight any developing structural issues.

• Periodontal exams — This exam provides a screening of your gums and tests for any signs of gum disease.

• Tackling Pain — Tension pain is one of the main specialties of comprehensive dental care. Muscle pain from grinding teeth, sore eyes, migraines, headaches, clicking jaws, mouth sores and bleeding are just some of the symptoms that comprehensive dental care tackles. Sometimes pain can be coming from a single tooth but can be resulting in a headache (referred pain). In other cases, a similar type of pain can be originating from tired muscles.

If anything suspicious is found during these series of exams, your comprehensive dental care professional in Toronto will sit down and discuss treatment options with you. If necessary, they can also conduct biopsies to determine how to take action quickly and effectively. Comprehensive dental care is a thorough and holistic approach to dentistry that believes in looking at everything as a whole working system. If anything is out of place, it can further damage your teeth and gums or worsen an existing set of symptoms. If you are experiencing any symptoms of ongoing pain, or would simply like to have a routine check, book an appointment with us today!