Dental Exam Woodbridge VA: Essential Guide to What Happens During Your Checkup

Dr. Mai starts with a systematic visual examination of your entire mouth — not just your teeth. She checks each tooth surface using a small mirror and explorer, looking for cavities, cracks, worn fillings, and any changes since your last visit. But she’s looking at much more than teeth.

She examines your gums for color, texture, and signs of inflammation. Healthy gums are pink and firm. Red, puffy, or bleeding gums signal gingivitis or periodontitis. She measures gum pocket depth around each tooth — 1 to 3 millimeters is healthy. Anything deeper indicates gum disease that needs attention.

She palpates your jaw joints and the muscles on the sides of your face, checking for tenderness or clicking that could indicate TMJ disorder. She looks at your bite — how your teeth come together — and checks for signs of grinding like flattened cusps or enamel wear.

She examines your tongue, the floor of your mouth, your cheeks, and the back of your throat. This is the oral cancer screening, and it happens at every comprehensive exam. She’s looking for unusual red or white patches, sores that haven’t healed, lumps, or any tissue changes. It takes about two minutes and it’s included in every exam at no extra charge.

A visual exam catches surface problems. X-rays reveal what’s happening beneath. Bitewing X-rays show cavities between teeth where they touch — the most common place for decay to start, invisible to the naked eye. Periapical X-rays show the entire tooth from crown to root tip, revealing abscesses, cysts, and bone levels around each tooth.

At Hedgewood Dental, all X-rays are digital. That means up to 90% less radiation than traditional film, instant results, and higher image quality. Dr. Mai only takes X-rays when clinically necessary. Most adults need bitewings once a year and a full series every three to five years. Patients with a history of cavities or gum disease may need them more often.

A new patient exam is more thorough than a recall exam. It includes a full series of X-rays, a comprehensive periodontal charting where every gum pocket is measured and recorded, and a detailed treatment plan. It establishes your baseline — the reference point Dr. Mai uses to track changes over years of care.

A recall exam, for established patients returning every six months, is more focused. Dr. Mai reviews your chart, checks for changes since your last visit, takes bitewing X-rays if you’re due, and updates your treatment plan if anything new has developed. It’s faster but just as thorough in its scope.

An exam is only as good as the dentist’s ability to spot changes. At a practice where you see a different dentist each time, subtle shifts get missed. A filling that’s wearing down gradually. A gum pocket that’s deepened from 3mm to 4mm over two years. These are easy to overlook without context.

Dr. Mai has examined some patients for over twenty years. She knows their baseline. She knows which tooth has always had a deep groove, which filling is fifteen years old and being watched, which gum area tends to bleed. That continuity means she catches real changes earlier — when they’re smaller, simpler, and cheaper to treat.

Whether you’re a new patient or it’s just time for your regular checkup, Dr. Christine Mai and the team at Hedgewood Dental are ready. Clear communication, thorough exams, and a conservative approach — the same philosophy that’s guided this practice since 1997.

Call (703) 537-9201 or visit 13885 Hedgewood Dr STE 209, Woodbridge, VA 22193 .