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Brightside General dentistry

Screening is part
of the checkup.

A visual and physical check of the soft tissue in and around your mouth. It is included in a routine exam here rather than sold as an add-on.

Call (778) 754-4488 Hours and location

What it is

A few minutes, every checkup.

We look at the tongue including underneath and along the sides, the floor of the mouth, the inside of the cheeks, the palate, the back of the throat and the lips, and feel the neck and under the jaw. Most of what gets found is harmless. The point is that someone is looking regularly at areas you cannot see yourself.

  • A sore or ulcer that has not healed in three weeks
  • A white or red patch anywhere in the mouth
  • A lump in the neck or under the jaw
  • Persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing
  • Numbness in the lip, tongue or chin
  • Any of the above, whether or not you use tobacco

What the visit is like

What the check involves.

  1. Looking, including the parts you cannot seeUnder and along the sides of the tongue and the floor of the mouth get particular attention, because those are easy areas to miss at home.
  2. Feeling the neck and jawChecking lymph nodes by hand. This takes seconds and it is part of a proper exam.
  3. Anything unusual gets recordedPhotographed or charted with a date, so at your next visit we can tell whether it has changed. Most things do not.
  4. Referred promptly if it warrants itAnything needing further assessment goes to an oral surgeon or your physician without delay. We will not watch something indefinitely to avoid worrying you.

Cost and coverage

You should never be surprised by a bill.

Every plan arrives with the fee beside each line and the insurance estimate beside that, before you agree to anything. We submit to your plan directly where it allows it, and we are set up for the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Fees for this are quoted in writing after an exam, per tooth and per surface. Nobody can price it accurately from a website or over the phone.

Common questions

Asked on the phone most weeks.

Do I need to ask for this?
No. It is part of a routine exam here. If you have a specific area you want looked at, point at it, because that is genuinely useful.
I do not smoke. Is this relevant to me?
Yes. Tobacco and alcohol raise risk substantially, but they are not the only factors and a meaningful share of cases occur in people with neither. That is why it is done for everyone rather than on request.
What happens if you find something?
Most findings are harmless and get recorded so we can see whether they change. Anything that warrants further assessment gets referred promptly, and we will tell you plainly what we are seeing rather than leave you guessing.

Booking

Say what it is when you call.

If it is pain, say that -- it changes how the day gets arranged. If it is a checkup for three people, say that too and we will try to put you in one morning.

Also at Brightside

Call (778) 754-4488 Hours and location