We take pride in providing a comprehensive examination to new patients as well as patients of record on a periodic basis. The purpose of this is to evaluate the health of all systems related to the mouth. The exam includes a thorough dental exam done with the aid of the intraoral camera. This is where our commitment to education begins. By sharing our view of conditions and explaining them to patients it helps a patient gain an appreciation of what is right and what is not. This is the first step away from the sometimes thought notion that if it doesn’t hurt, it must be okay. That represents an endpoint of the spectrum of health that waits to the verve of failure before a correction is made. Our goal with every patient is to educate them to what healthy conditions are, correct any deviations from this state and to maintain the patient’s health for their lifetime.
The periodontal evaluation is what most people expect at a specialist’s office. It begins again with educating what periodontal disease is, where it comes from, and what it can lead to. The current status is evaluated and demonstrated through use of the camera. The gum condition is evaluated in terms of how much plaque is present on the teeth, the presence of hardened calculus, the level of the body’s immune system to this plaque and the resulting tissue breakdown in the form of diseased pockets. The pockets are measured as the patient is educated to which numbers are good and which are not. The teeth are checked for looseness and other issues relating to chewing force.
The soft tissue exam is conducted evaluating each area for function and presence of problems like masses, tumors or other deviations from the normal.
Occlusion is a big part of our comprehensive exam. Most people don’t realize it, but wear of one’s teeth can be just as destructive as decay. Excessive wear can be responsible for broken, chipped teeth, sensitivity, fillings falling out and porcelain breaking. It can mean the difference between dentistry that lasts a lifetime and dental work that breaks down quickly. Wear can lead to TMJ problems including headaches, earaches, tinnitus, clicking jaws, pain in the jaws and facial numbness. Dr. Sigismondi has spent many hours in post-doctoral study in these manners. The depth of this evaluation varies from patient to patient based largely on a person’s symptoms and issues that are found upon inquiry and examination.
The doctor’s part of the exam concludes with an esthetic and facial evaluation. This is where Dr. Sigismondi asks questions to determine how a patient feels about their teeth and smile. He realizes that patients may have concerns about esthetics or desire changes in their appearance that only an open dialog can reveal.
Records are then taken for the doctor to review after the appointment. The findings and recommendations are presented at the next appointment. From this point on, Dr. Sigismondi has a blueprint to restore a patient to health. During the treatment conference appointment the doctor continues the educating process using radiographs, photos and models taken previously. He and the patient then plan together how to best achieve their goals.