When most people visit the dentist, he does several tests which are commonly know. The first person you see on a dentist visit is the hygienist. The dental hygienist starts working on your teeth, the first thing they may do is take x-rays of them and then clean them thoroughly. The hygienist then provides the x-rays they have taken to the dentist, who will check those x-rays for deeper issues of the teeth or the gums. From the x-rays the dentist will also look out for signs of more serious mouth diseases such as oral cancer.
The above described visit can be termed as a regular visit but there are times that a comprehensive checkup needs to be done. For the comprehensive examination the dentist will need to do a thorough checkup of the mouth, head and neck. The dentist might feel the need of even ordering an x-ray of the head for this comprehensive examination.
A comprehensive check up would be required by the dentist for the first time patient. This way the dentist is made aware of any existing conditions or overall health of the new patient. According to your health the dentist can now work with you after the comprehensive examination. Also this kind of comprehensive examination will help the dentist identify in future new issues.
For the regular and comprehensive checkups, every dentist has his own style of doing things. So if the examination is not carried out as described here, it doesn't mean that your dentist is not a good dentist. Of course you can clarify with the dentist by asking questions if you are not sure if proper procedures are being followed. If the dentist is doing certain procedures that you are not aware about or is leaving out certain important procedures you have read about, you should ask questions.
Of course it needs to be understood that these are regular procedures for a family dentist, the checkup of an endodontist, periodontist, cosmetic dentist, pediatric dentist, orthodontist or oral surgeon are going to be very different. It is impossible for a single article to cover all these specialities, you will need to read different articles if you want to know about the procedures of checkup and comprehensive examination for each of these specialties.
Dentist office search is available on our website for free