Oral examinations

The state of Colorado allows registered dental hygienists to perform and charge for oral examinations to detect tooth decay, periodontal disease, oral cancer lesions, and other dental and jaw abnormalities.

Lori has been doing preliminary oral examinations while working under the direct supervision of a dentist for over 30 years and is very confident that she can recognize problems in your mouth which she would then refer you to your dentist for treatment. If you have a periodontal issue, she would treat the condition in her own office.

Lori stays current with dental continuing education and technology by attending dental conferences and taking online courses and Webinars. She always goes above and beyond her required number of continuing education credits required to keep her dental hygiene license active.

Lori uses state of the art digital dental x ray and intraoral camera technology so that she can detect abnormalities at their earliest signs. She can then share these findings and images with your dentist via email for convenient and thorough communication so you will receive the treatment you need without the need for duplicating x ray services in two offices.

If you do not currently have a Colorado Springs dentist, Lori has good long standing relationships with many area dentists whom she can recommend you to see.

Many patients like this approach because Lori can give that second (or first) opinion on your dental needs and you can trust her to be truthful, especially because she has nothing to gain by telling you that you need restorative dental work. Most of her patients leave her office saying that they just received the most thorough dental examination they have ever had. She takes her time and shows you the x rays and pictures and explains in detail all of her findings.

We think you’ll agree.

Intraoral Pictures

At Serene Dental Hygiene, we use a State of the Art Intra-oral camera which magnifies what we are looking at so we can detect cracks, decay, and oral cancer lesions before they become so large as to need more extensive treatment. I can take pictures of receded gums or inflammation to show you why you might need periodontal treatment. It’s nice to take a picture of an early stage issue on a tooth and be able to compare what it looks like at each visit. The Intra-oral camera is invaluable to me for use to educate my patients and to communicate with dentists or specialists to show them what I am seeing to help them decide if a referral to their office is really necessary.

But what I love most about the camera is that it brings a new level of trust to my relationships with my patients. When I can show the patient what the decay or cracks look like on their teeth, they believe it. I don’t have to ask them to trust my word for it. I’m very proud to have this state of the art digital technology and I love to use it. Patients are amazed at how much it helps them to understand what I am showing them. I’m sure you will be as well.