If it’s been a while since your last dental visit — or if you’ve never had one as an adult — not knowing what to expect can be enough to keep putting it off. This post walks through exactly what happens during a routine check-up at Smile Spot Mawson Lakes, step by step. No surprises.
Arriving and checking in
When you arrive at the practice, our reception team will greet you and confirm your details. If it’s your first visit, you’ll fill out a short medical history form. This covers medications, allergies, past surgeries, and any health conditions that might affect dental treatment — things like diabetes, blood thinning medications, or heart conditions.
If you’ve been here before, we’ll ask whether anything has changed since your last visit. This takes a couple of minutes.
The clinical examination
Once you’re in the chair, your dentist begins with a thorough examination. This isn’t just a quick glance at your teeth — it covers several areas.
Teeth. We check each tooth for decay, cracks, wear, and the condition of any existing fillings or restorations. Early decay often has no symptoms at all, which is exactly why regular check-ups matter.
Gums. We assess gum health by looking at colour, firmness, and whether there’s any bleeding or swelling. Using a small probe, we measure the depth of the gum pockets around your teeth. Deeper pockets can indicate gum disease, which is one of the most common dental conditions in adults and often goes unnoticed.
Soft tissues. Your dentist examines the tongue, cheeks, palate, floor of the mouth, and throat. This is an oral cancer screening — we’re looking for any unusual patches, lumps, or changes in the tissue. It takes under a minute and it’s an important part of the check-up that many people don’t realise happens.
Bite and jaw. We check how your teeth come together when you bite and whether there are any signs of grinding or jaw issues (TMJ). Worn-down teeth, chips, and jaw clicking can all point to grinding — particularly common in people who are stressed or who grind at night without realising it.
X-rays
Not every visit requires x-rays. We take them when there’s a clinical reason — for example, to check for decay between teeth that isn’t visible to the eye, to evaluate bone levels around the teeth, or to investigate a specific concern.
If it’s your first visit, we’ll usually take a baseline set so we have something to compare against in the future. After that, x-rays are typically taken every one to two years depending on your risk profile.
Scale and clean
After the examination, the hygienist or dentist performs a scale and clean. This removes plaque and tartar (calculus) — the hard deposits that form on teeth over time and can’t be removed by brushing alone.
An ultrasonic scaler does the heavy lifting, using vibrations and water to break up deposits. Hand instruments are used for finer detail. Then your teeth are polished to smooth the surfaces and remove surface staining.
If you haven’t had a clean in a while, there may be more buildup than usual. That’s fine — we see it regularly and there’s no judgement involved.
Fluoride treatment
For patients who would benefit from it, we apply a fluoride varnish after the clean. This strengthens enamel and provides additional protection against decay. It’s quick — painted on and left to absorb. You just avoid eating or drinking for about 30 minutes afterward.
Treatment plan discussion
Once everything is done, your dentist sits down and talks through what they found. If treatment is needed, we explain what it is, why it’s recommended, what the options are, and what it’s likely to cost. If nothing needs doing, we’ll say so.
We prioritise based on urgency. Not everything needs to be done at once. A phased approach — addressing the most important things first — is completely normal and often the most practical way forward.
If you’re nervous
Dental anxiety is common and nothing to be embarrassed about. If you’re feeling anxious, let us know when you book — we’ll allow extra time and adjust our approach. You can read more about how we help nervous patients.
Regularity matters
The standard recommendation is a check-up every six months, though your dentist may suggest a different interval based on your individual risk. The point of regular check-ups is catching problems early, when they’re smaller, simpler, and cheaper to treat. A small filling now is a much better outcome than a crown or extraction later.
Health fund and no-gap check-ups
We’re a Bupa Members First Platinum provider and a preferred provider for NIB, CBHS, HCF, and smile.com.au — meaning reduced or no gap for eligible preventive services. We accept all other major health funds too, with claims processed on the spot through HICAPS. For many patients with eligible extras cover, routine check-ups are fully covered with no out-of-pocket cost.
Book your check-up
Smile Spot Mawson Lakes is located at 1/3 Coventry Street, Mawson Lakes SA 5095 — convenient for patients from Parafield Gardens, Salisbury, Paralowie, Ingle Farm, Golden Grove, Salisbury Downs, and Para Hills. We’re open Monday to Thursday until 7pm, so you can come in after work or school.
To book a dental check-up, make an appointment online or call us on (08) 8258 0650.