Dental Exams in Monroe, MI
A routine exam at Frenchtown Smiles is a straight conversation about your teeth, not a sales pitch. We look, we explain what we see, and you decide what’s next.
What a Checkup Looks Like at Frenchtown Smiles
Dental exams in Monroe MI should feel like a checkup with a neighbor, not a tour through a sales funnel. At Frenchtown Smiles, Dr. Kyle Lambert and Dr. Danevin Putrus see most patients twice a year for a regular exam paired with a cleaning. The goal is simple: catch small problems while they’re still small, and leave the rest of your teeth alone.
Most visits run about 30 to 45 minutes. We check the teeth you already have, the work that’s been done on them, the gums around them, and the soft tissues in your mouth. If something looks off, we say so. If everything looks fine, we say that too.
Families from Monroe, Woodland Beach, Frenchtown Township, Detroit Beach, Newport, and LaSalle come in for this same appointment. A six-year-old getting their first real exam, a parent on a lunch break, a grandparent who hasn’t been seen in a few years. All of it happens in the same building with the same two dentists. That is what family dentistry in Monroe, MI looks like at Frenchtown Smiles.
What's Actually Checked During a Dental Exam
A complete exam covers more than the teeth. We look at each tooth surface for decay, check existing fillings and crowns for wear or leaks, and measure the gums for signs of periodontal disease. We also look at the soft tissues (tongue, cheeks, palate, throat) for anything that doesn’t belong there. That part is our oral cancer screening, and it happens at every exam, not just once in a while.
X-rays are part of the picture when they’re needed. New patients usually get a full set. After that, we space them out based on your risk and what we’ve seen before. We don’t take images just to take them. If you’re due, we’ll tell you why. If you’re not, we’ll wait.
For kids, the exam is shorter and more conversational. We count teeth, watch how the bite is coming in, and flag anything an orthodontist might want to see later. Parents are welcome in the room. We’d rather a kid be a little nervous next to a parent than alone in a chair pretending not to be.
If you grind at night or wake up with a sore jaw, the exam is also a good time to bring it up. We can talk through whether a nightguard or a closer look at your bite makes sense.
How Often You Actually Need a Dental Exam
Twice a year covers most adults and most kids. That cadence works because the things we’re watching for (small cavities, early gum inflammation, a cracked filling) tend to show up over months, not years. Six months out keeps us ahead of them.
Some patients need to come in more often. If you’ve been treated for gum disease, you may be on a three or four month periodontal maintenance schedule instead of a standard cleaning. If you’re prone to decay, have a lot of existing dental work, or are going through orthodontic treatment, we may suggest shorter intervals for a while. We’ll tell you why and how long.
If it’s been three or five or ten years since your last visit, that’s fine. We’re not going to lecture. We’ll start where you are, walk you through what we find, and build a plan that doesn’t try to do everything in one appointment.
What's Included in Your Exam Appointment
A standard exam visit at Frenchtown Smiles usually includes the following, depending on what you’re due for:
A visual and tactile check of every tooth, a gum health assessment with periodontal measurements, an oral cancer screening of the soft tissues, any X-rays that are due, a bite and jaw check, and a conversation at the end about what we saw and what (if anything) we’d suggest doing about it. Most exams are paired with a hygiene visit, so you leave with clean teeth and a clear plan in the same trip.
When the exam turns up something that needs follow-up, we handle most of it in-house. Fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, extractions, implants, Invisalign, gum treatment: all of it lives under the same roof with the same two dentists. You’re not getting sent across town for the next step unless there’s a real reason to.
Why Regular Exams Are Worth the Trip
The honest case for twice-a-year exams isn’t dramatic. It’s practical. A cavity caught at the exam stage is a small filling. The same cavity caught two years later might be a crown or a root canal. Gum inflammation noticed early is a cleaning adjustment. Left alone, it turns into bone loss that’s harder to walk back.
Exams also build a record. After a few visits, we know what your teeth usually look like, which means we can spot what’s different. That’s hard to do on a one-off appointment with a dentist who’s never seen you before.
And the soft-tissue check matters. Oral cancer is one of those things where early is everything. Two minutes at a routine exam is the cheapest insurance you’ll buy all year.
Due for a Checkup?
Call Frenchtown Smiles or request a visit online. New patients and families from Monroe, Woodland Beach, and the surrounding towns are welcome, and our front desk can confirm what your plan covers before you come in.