There are many dental special tests that the team at Skygate Dental are able to go through to evaluate your medical and dental health. The general principle with any dental investigation or special tests is to firstly go through a thorough history and discussion. This is to aid in isolating the cause of the dental pain; this is followed by an in-depth examination. After a full dental exam, special tests can then be used in a manner starting from least invasive & least costly to more invasive before the cause of the dental pain is diagnosed.
What are some of the Special Test or Investigations that dentist can used to fix dental pain?
Checking the Teeth
- Firstly a thorough check of all the teeth and soft tissues should be done. This is generally done under magnification and a very bright light. In some cases the teeth can be checked with special marking paper; if the bite needed to be checked.
Trans-illumination & Fracture or Crack finder
- In some cases a transilluminator may be necessary, this is a fiber optic light that is placed closely to an area that needs to be inspected. In cases of looking closely at the teeth, this can be particularly useful to find dental decay, dental cracks or fractures in teeth.
- A fracture finder is a specific dental instrument that is used against the dental cusps of teeth to check for cracks or fractures. If a crack or fracture is present and if pressure is applied a sensation will be noticeable within the tooth. If there is no crack or fracture generally no pain will be felt.
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Percussion
- Percussion tests can be used both vertically and horizontally to assess a tooth or teeth. For example, if a dental abscess is suspected, a positive result would be pain on percussion of the infected tooth. This is because a dental abscess will produce pressure and inflammation around the ligament tissue (tooth area).
Periodontal Probing
- Gum probing is a system used to measure the gum pockets around teeth. In general a healthy tooth will have a natural pocket of 1-3 mm, whereas a tooth with gum disease can have very deep dental pockets. These deep pockets allows for bacteria and infection to harm the tooth. In cases where gum disease is suspected, a thorough measurement of the gum tissues will help provide necessary clinical information.
Study Models
- Dental study models can be taken to evaluate many things such as planning for implants, denture, bridges, braces, checking fillings, veneers, crowns.
Radiograph
- Radiographs will help to diagnose and evaluate dental decay, gum disease, and or dental abscess, amongst other dental diseases.
Pulp Test
- Pulp testing can be done using either electric or cold. Depending on the patients reaction to the pain and whether it is transient, sharp then subsides, lingers, or no response. The health of the tooth can be assessed.
If you would like more information regarding dental special tests