A checkup should tell you exactly where your mouth stands
At Miller Dental Care, a checkup is a full look at your teeth, gums, bite, and soft tissue, not a quick glance and a polish. We check, we show you what we find on the screen, and we explain it in plain language before anything else happens.
We are an independent, family-connected practice with evening and Saturday hours, and we accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Coming back after a few years away, you are welcome here.
Reviewed byDr. Bob MacInnis, DDSUpdated September 2026What a checkup here actually looks like
A lot of people have no real idea what happens while they are in the chair. Here is how we do it.
We talk through three things, every time
Even when your mouth looks great, we walk you through the same three things: something about your teeth, something about your gums, and something about your brushing and flossing at home. Your hygienist covers it, then Dr. Bob or your dentist confirms it when they come in for the check. Hearing it twice, in plain terms, is how it actually sticks.
You see your own mouth on the screen
We take intraoral photos and put them up on the monitor for you to see. This is not only for patients who need work. If your gums are healthy, we want to show you what healthy looks like. If something is starting to change, it is far easier to understand when you can see it yourself.
The room is ready before you sit down
By the time your dentist walks in, they already know what your hygienist found, your photos are on the screen, and your history is in front of them. The check is focused and unhurried because the groundwork is done.
We tell you what is coming before it happens
If the cold is going to feel cold for a second, or you are going to feel a little pressure, we say so first. Knowing what is next is most of what makes a visit comfortable. You can stop us at any point.
You leave knowing where you stand
By the end of the visit you know exactly what we found, what needs attention if anything does, and a simple plan for keeping things healthy. No vague “see you in six months,” no surprises.
What we check, every time
Your health history first
We review your medical and dental history and update anything that has changed: new medications, health conditions, allergies, and whatever concern brought you in. It shapes everything we do next.
Every tooth, one at a time
Your dentist works through each tooth in order, looking for decay, cracks, wear, and any fillings or crowns starting to break down at the edges. Nothing gets skipped because the exam follows the same path every time.
Your gums
Healthy gums do not bleed. We look at the colour and firmness of your gum tissue and check for swelling, bleeding, and recession, because gum disease is usually silent early and completely manageable when caught early.
Your bite and jaw
We check how your teeth come together and look at your jaw joint for tension or restricted movement. We also look for the wear patterns grinding leaves behind, which most people have no idea about until we show them.
An oral cancer screening
At every checkup we look over your lips, tongue, cheeks, the floor of your mouth, and the back of your throat, and gently check the soft tissue and the glands in your neck and jaw. We also use a fluorescence light, which makes tissue changes easier to see than the eye alone can catch. If you wear dentures, we take them out so we can see everything. The screening looks for early signs, it is not a diagnosis, and if we ever see something worth a closer look we will tell you and arrange the right next step. Between visits, if you notice a sore, a lump, or a white or red patch that does not clear up in about two weeks, do not wait, give us a call. You can read more about oral cancer from the Canadian Cancer Society.
X-rays, when they are needed
We take digital X-rays when there is a clinical reason to, not automatically at every visit. They show what the eye cannot: decay starting between teeth, changes below the gumline, and the health of the bone around your teeth. Digital images appear on the screen in seconds and use up to 90% less radiation than traditional film. The imaging tools we use are part of our dental technology.
First visit vs. regular checkups
Your first exam is the thorough one. We build a complete baseline: every tooth, your gums, your bite, your soft tissue, any existing dental work, and usually a set of X-rays. Regular checkups after that focus on what has changed since we last saw you, which is how we catch small shifts early. Coming in with a specific problem, like a sore tooth, is different again: we sort out the urgent part first.
Cleanings, fluoride, and sealants sit alongside the exam as part of our full preventive care.
Nervous about the dentist? Start here.
Plenty of our patients had a rough experience somewhere in the past, or have not been in for years. We get it, and it does not change how we treat you. A checkup itself is just a look and a clean, with no needle and nothing to brace for. We go at your pace, we explain each step before we take it, and we do not start anything until you are settled. You can stop us at any point.
There is no judgment here about how long it has been. If we do find something that needs treatment, we talk you through the options before anything is booked. You are welcome to meet the team or reach out with a question first.
Before your visit
A few small things make your first appointment go smoothly.
- Bring a list of any medications you take, and note any health changes since you last saw a dentist.
- If you have recent X-rays or records from another office, bring them or have them sent over. It can save you a repeat X-ray.
- Tell us about anything that makes you anxious, or any past experience that went badly. It changes how we approach the visit.
- Complete your new-patient forms ahead of time through our booking portal, or arrive a few minutes early if it is your first time.
- You do not need to do anything special to your teeth. Brush and floss as you normally would.
Checkups and the Canadian Dental Care Plan
Miller Dental Care is a Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) provider. If you're covered under the Canadian Dental Care Plan, we typically don't charge for any balanced billing created by the difference between the CDCP fee guide and the provincial fee guide. For patients approved at 100% coverage, that often means your checkup costs $0 out of pocket.
How much the plan pays depends on your income tier, and we'll always outline your costs and coverage before treatment begins.
Why the regular visit is worth it
Small problems stay small
A cavity caught early is usually one short filling. Left alone, the same tooth can end up needing a root canal and a crown across several visits. The regular check keeps you on the easy side of that.
Gum disease is caught while reversible
Early gum disease has no pain and no obvious signs you can spot at home. A cleaning and an exam catch it and turn it around before it affects the bone that holds your teeth.
You avoid the emergency
Cracked teeth, failing fillings, and early infections usually show up on an exam months before they turn into pain and an urgent, after-hours problem. Regular patients need far fewer emergency visits.
We build a record over time
Comparing your mouth visit to visit lets us spot change early: wear that is speeding up, a filling reaching the end of its life, a spot that was not there last year.
When a problem does get ahead of a checkup, we are here for that too, from emergency dental care to root canal treatment when a tooth needs it.
Checkups for the whole family
Children
We suggest a first visit around age one, or when the first tooth comes in. Early visits are short, gentle, and go at your child’s pace. As they grow, we watch how their teeth are coming in, so crowding or bite issues can be caught while they are simplest to address.
Adults
We track the full picture over time: cavity patterns, gum health, how your bite is holding up, and the condition of any existing dental work, so meaningful changes get caught early.
Seniors
Older patients often arrive with decades of dental history. We review existing crowns, fillings, and dentures for fit and wear, and we check for dry mouth and gum recession, both more common with age and with certain medications.
Worth getting checked
- Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers, or that has recently changed
- Pain when you bite or chew
- A toothache lasting more than a day, or that wakes you at night
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
- Swollen, tender, or receding gums
- Bad breath that does not clear with brushing and flossing
- A tooth that feels loose
- A chip, a rough edge, or a new white, brown, or dark spot
- It has been a while and you are not sure where things stand
If any of these sound familiar, book a visit. If none do, that is exactly when a routine checkup does the most good.
How often should you come in?
Every 6 months
For most people, this is the interval the Canadian Dental Association points to for patients without active gum disease.
Every 3 to 4 months
Often recommended while we treat gum disease, because more frequent cleanings interrupt the cycle that drives it.
We set your recall interval based on your own mouth and revisit it at each visit, rather than applying one schedule to everyone.
Checkup and exam FAQs
What our patients say
from 133+ Google Reviews
I recently had dental work done at Miller Dental Care, and I can honestly say the experience was incredible from start to finish. Dr. Bob has a special technique. I’m not even joking, the freezing needle was completely painless. I didn’t feel a thing! From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is welcoming, relaxing, and full of positive energy. Anxiety? Non existent here. The entire team makes you feel comfortable right away. The hygienists, assistants, and restorative dental hygienist (im so sorry I forgot your name) shes amazing and are all amazing at what they do, and the front desk team, Gracy and her teammate, are absolutely top notch. Everyone is so friendly, funny, and genuinely caring. The pricing is amazing, the service is exceptional, and the final restoration of my teeth gave me that true WOW factor. If you’re looking for a dental office that combines skill, comfort, and an incredible team, Miller Dental Care is the place to go!
Moise Botbol
3 months ago
Ready for a checkup in Orillia?
Accepting new patients, including Canadian Dental Care Plan. Evening and Saturday hours.