WHY DO SOME DENTISTS REQUIRE AN EXAM BEFORE A CLEANING?

A lot of people call our office and want to schedule a dental cleaning; this is one of the most common reasons for people requesting an appointment when the person doesn’t have any pain, discomfort, or a broken tooth. We require an examination be completed prior to anyone having their teeth cleaned. That may seem like an added expense and inconvenience for those who “just want a cleaning,” but there is good reasoning behind this policy. The reason is that, by law, we can’t provide any sort of treatment without first having a diagnosis. Before a patient has their teeth cleaned, we must first make a diagnosis of their gum health. In other words, we must know if periodontal disease (gum disease) is present. Treatment for someone with healthy gums is completely different than for someone with periodontal disease. The assumption most people make on their own is that some sort of pain or discomfort would be a telltale sign of gum disease, and therefore they would know if they had gum disease. This assumption is incorrect. Gum disease is no different than many other common health problems, as far as their difficulty in diagnosis, because these problems don’t cause pain. Here are some examples.

Common health problems that don’t cause pain:

  1. HEART DISEASE. Arteriosclerosis—the progressive constriction of the small blood vessels throughout the body and within the heart itself—doesn’t cause pain.  Undiagnosed heart disease can lead to heart attacks, and possibly death. It’s a great idea to see a doctor for a periodic examination to make sure you don’t have heart disease.
  2. MELANOMA. Malignant Melanoma—a type of skin cancer that typically looks like a freckle on the skin—is the most dangerous type of skin cancer known. Its diagnosis is made based on a biopsy of the skin, as the disease causes no pain, discomfort, or even a single sensory clue that it is present. Better get those moles checked by a doctor.
  3. GUM DISEASE, also referred to as Periodontal Disease. This silent and painless disease of the gums and its underlying bone is present in half of the U.S. population (according to a 2012 CDC study). Early gum disease is essentially imperceptible to a patient and is diagnosed by a dentist or dental hygienist by either X-ray analysis and/or a periodontal charting, whereby the depth of the small crevice formed by the gum tissue around each tooth is measured. Advanced gum disease may be perceptible to a patient when the teeth become mobile (wiggly) within the bone or gums but generally doesn’t cause any discomfort or pain. That’s why it’s so important to see the dentist/hygienist on a regular basis. Without these regular checks, gum disease can’t be diagnosed and the health of your teeth and gums are at risk.