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Dental Health Risk Asssessment

Welcome to our Dental Health Risk Assessment. We created this assessment so that you could quickly and easily evaluate your dental health risks. Dr. John created the questions and provides commentary for each question. Any question where you answer “yes” represents a potential risk, the more yes answers, the higher the risk. Are you ready? It will only take a few minutes and will provide valuable information for your dental health.

Click here to download the form.
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1. Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss your teeth?
Bleeding, puffy gums are not normal and are an early sign of gum disease. By age 35, 3 out of 4 adults are affected. Gum disease is an often painless bacterial infection that destroys the gums and bone around the teeth, leading to tooth loss.

2. Do you have a history of diabetes, heart disease, stroke or kidney disease?
Evidence is mounting relating gum disease to a variety of health concerns. Preventing bleeding of your gums ensures bacteria will not get into your bloodstream and contribute to other diseases.

3. Are desserts, soda, sports drinks, fruit juices, mints, candies or other sugary foods part of your daily diet?
Bacteria in the mouth convert sugar from food into acid, which attacks tooth enamel and causes cavities. When you do eat or drink sugary foods, be sure to brush or rinse afterwards to prevent decay.

4. Have you had a new cavity in the last few years, or have you had several fillings done over the past many years?
A history of dental decay can indicate future risk for additional disease. Older dentistry is subject to breakdown after many years of use and must be evaluated regularly.

5. Are your teeth sensitive to hot or cold or chewing?
Discomfort in teeth may indicate gum recession; dental decay; cracked teeth or older, failing dentistry.

6. Do you feel pain in your ear when chewing or yawning or pain in jaw when you wake up?
Between 10-15% of the population suffers from headaches; jaw pain; sore chewing muscles; or damaged jaw joints related to a bad bite or TMJ dysfunction.

7. Do you notice gradual wearing or flattening of your front teeth or chipping/breaking of your back teeth?
A bad bite – where the teeth, chewing muscles and jaw joints do not work together in harmony – can lead to stress on teeth leading to worn and cracked teeth. A habit of grinding and clenching teeth (bruxism) can leads to worn and cracked teeth as well.

8. Do you smoke cigarettes, a pipe, or a cigar, or chew tobacco?
75 percent of all oral cancers are associated with tobacco and alcohol use. The most common areas for oral cancers are the lateral borders of the tongue and the floor of the mouth.

9. Have you seen a dentist in the last 12 months?
Regular dental visits can not only discover disease early when it is simpler and less costly to treat; but regular visits also give your dentist a chance to share feedback on the effectiveness of your home care.

10. Do you know the three primary ways to prevent dental disease?
The three ways to have great dental health: have good home care, including brushing, flossing and a healthy diet; partner with a dentist to develop a lifetime plan for dental health; and have long-lasting quality dentistry that you can maintain.

How did you do? If you any questions please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help.