History Taking and General Examinations

To make a dental treatment safe and comfortable it is absolutely necessary to render full co-operation when questions regarding medical history is put forth .It is our duty to patiently comply to the physical examination and tests requested by a dentist.

IMPORTANCE OF ORAL EXAMINATIONS:

Complete examination of the mouth and the structures present within is a must once every 6 months. When a dentist examines the oral cavity he systematically covers all the structures. He looks for any changes in the size, shape, color & texture of the tissue. Picking up these changes early can at times save our lives.
For eg. Oral Cancer, which develops due to persistent smoking and pan chewing shows change in the inner check, tongue and the gums much earlier than the actual lesion. These changes if picked up early can be treated and restored to normalcy there by preventing the disfiguring and life threatening lesion which is bound to follow.

Similarly, measles can be spotted much earlier by a dentist rather than by a physician. This is because of the small spots or boils called koplik spots, which develop a couple of weeks in advance on the inner cheek.
 

So the next time you visit a dentist allow, him/her to examine the oral cavity completely.