Your teeth and restorations
The exam looks for decay, wear, damage, and changes around existing dental work. Findings are considered alongside your symptoms and earlier records, rather than in isolation.
General Dentistry / Treatment guide
Dental Exams & Cleanings
An exam looks at the health of your whole mouth. A professional cleaning removes deposits from tooth surfaces. Together, they help your dental team understand what is healthy, what needs attention, and how to plan your care.
Explore your options with our Atlas Dental team. Ask who would provide your treatment and whether a specialist referral is needed.
Let’s talk about your options See what care can involveA closer lookTreatment image
One part of a professional cleaning
A polishing tool cleans the surfaces of the teeth during a professional cleaning.
- 01Tooth surfaces
- 02Professional polishing
- 03A complete assessment
Polishing is one step. Your visit also includes an examination, gum assessment and removal of deposits where needed.
Understanding your care
A clearer picture of your oral health
Start with the purpose of treatment, then explore what matters for your own care.
Your gums and soft tissues
A dental visit goes beyond checking for cavities. Your team can assess the tissues around your teeth and look for changes elsewhere in the mouth.
A plan that fits your needs
Your history, home care, and examination help guide prevention and follow-up. X-rays and other assessments are selected when they can answer a relevant clinical question.
From questions to a plan
What care can involve.
The details and sequence depend on your assessment and individual treatment plan.
Start with your concerns
Share symptoms, health changes, medicines, and any concerns about dental visits. This conversation gives the examination useful context and helps the team plan comfortably.
Examine and assess
Your teeth, gums, and mouth are checked. Any imaging is chosen according to the information needed, rather than automatically at every appointment.
Clean appropriately
The team recommends a cleaning approach based on the gum assessment. Gum disease may need a separate periodontal treatment plan rather than routine cleaning alone.
Understand the findings
Review what was found, what can be monitored, and which options need discussion. The timing of your next visit is based on your needs.
Before you decide
A plan that makes
sense for you.
A routine cleaning does not replace treatment for established periodontal disease. Sensitivity, bleeding, or a specific concern may require a different approach. An exam can identify findings that need further investigation, but no single visit can predict every future problem. Your dental team can explain the recommended cleaning and follow-up interval.
Do I need a visit if nothing hurts?
Some dental problems have few symptoms early on. An examination gives your dentist a chance to assess changes and discuss prevention even when your mouth feels comfortable.
Will I have X-rays every time?
Not necessarily. Your dentist considers your history, previous images, examination, and risk of disease before deciding whether additional X-rays would provide information that changes your care.
Is a cleaning the same as deep cleaning?
They serve different needs. A routine cleaning focuses on maintaining oral health; scaling and root planing treats affected root surfaces when periodontal disease has been diagnosed.
A place to begin
Bring your questions.
We’ll start there.
Talk through your priorities, alternatives and who would provide your care. An assessment helps clarify the next step.
Let’s talk about your optionsOur team will contact you to confirm your visit.
About this guide & educational sources
The treatment images and animations in this guide illustrate examples of care. They are not Atlas Dental patient results, personal treatment recommendations or statements about an individual clinician’s scope. Your assessment and care plan determine which options are appropriate for you.