What Happens at a Dental Checkup

A routine checkup takes 30–60 minutes and bundles three things into that window: the examination, bitewing X-rays and scaling.

The appointment runs 30–60 minutes depending on what is found. It is the shortest visit in dentistry and the one every other treatment decision depends on — including whether a cracked tooth gets a filling or a crown.

The examination comes first. Each tooth is inspected, existing fillings and crowns are checked at their margins, and the gums are assessed. This is where most cracks are actually found — long before they hurt.

Bitewing X-rays are not taken at every visit. The typical interval is 12–24 months, because they exist to catch slow-moving problems: decay between teeth and under old restorations, neither of which the eye can see directly.

Scaling removes hardened deposits that brushing cannot shift. The next cleaning is booked by gum risk, on an interval that ranges from 3 to 12 months — shorter for gums that inflame easily, longer for stable ones.

If something is found, the checkup ends with a plan that already has realistic numbers in it: a filling finished in one visit, a crown route with its 60–90 minute preparation and 2–3 week temporary, or the root canal sequence. The filling-or-crown page compares those options side by side, and the root canal steps page follows that route from diagnosis to the fitted crown.

• Examination of every tooth and every existing restoration
• Bitewing X-rays — repeated every 12–24 months, not every visit
• Scaling, with the next cleaning booked 3–12 months out by gum risk
• A treatment plan for anything found, with realistic visit counts

Further reading

• Filling or Crown for a Cracked Tooth
• Root Canal Treatment Step by Step