Dental check-ups in Trinidad

What it costs

An examination is where every treatment plan starts, and it is deliberately the least expensive appointment we offer.

Imaging, all done here

All our imaging is digital, which means a lower dose than film and the picture on screen in seconds — so we can show you what we are looking at rather than describe it. Nothing is sent elsewhere; it happens during your appointment.

• Panoramic (OPG)
• Bitewings
• Peri-apicals
• Cone beam 3D (CBCT)

Cone beam 3D in particular matters for implant planning and for seeing exactly where a nerve runs before wisdom tooth removal.

Digital scanning, instead of impression putty

We also scan digitally. A small camera builds a 3D model of your teeth in a few minutes — no tray of putty held in your mouth while it sets, which is the part most people remember and nobody enjoys, particularly with a strong gag reflex.

It is used for crowns and bridges, aligners, nightguards and dentures, and you can see the model on screen as it builds.

More on the safety question: are dental x-rays safe?

Finding a dentist in Trinidad, and checking them first

Before you book anywhere — here or elsewhere — check the dentist is registered. The Dental Council of Trinidad and Tobago maintains a public register of everyone entitled to practise. It takes a minute, and it is the only credential on any dental website you can independently verify.

Dr. Alida D. Jagdeo's registration number is J06A.

We are at Unit 6, 2nd Floor, 31 Mucurapo Road in St. James, open from 7:00am on weekdays with parking on site. To book, message WhatsApp 396-8447 or call 622-6893 — no form to fill in and wait on. More on choosing a dentist in Port of Spain, and how to find us.

If the cost is what is stopping you

A check-up is deliberately the cheapest appointment in dentistry, because it is the one that prevents the expensive ones. But if money is the reason it has been put off, the honest picture is worth having.

NIS does not pay for dental treatment. It is a cash-benefit scheme, not a health service. Some public facilities under the Regional Health Authorities do provide dental services — contact the health authority for your area and ask what is offered.

Private health insurance usually does cover check-ups, generally at the highest rate the plan offers, because examinations and cleanings are the treatments insurers most want you to have. We check your entitlement before treatment rather than after. How insurance works here, and the full price list.

What we check

• Every tooth surface for decay, wear, cracks and failing existing fillings
• Your gums for inflammation, recession and the pocketing that signals gum disease
• Soft tissues — cheeks, tongue, palate and throat. This includes screening for oral cancer, which is far more treatable when found early
• Your bite and jaw joints, including signs of grinding or clenching
• X-rays where indicated, which show what a visual examination physically cannot

Why digital imaging matters

A large proportion of decay begins between teeth, where the surfaces touch. That area is invisible to the naked eye no matter how carefully anyone looks. Radiographs reveal decay between teeth, bone levels around the roots, infection at root tips, and problems developing under existing fillings.

Digital sensors use a lower dose than older film systems and produce an image immediately, which means we can show you what we are seeing on screen and explain it rather than asking you to take our word for it. See are dental X-rays safe?

How often you need one

Every six months suits most people. Your interval may be shorter if you have active gum disease, a high decay rate, a dry mouth, diabetes, or you smoke — and may be longer if you have consistently excellent oral health.

If it has been years since your last visit, that is a common situation and not a reason for embarrassment. It is a reason to come in. More on check-up frequency.

If the check-up finds something

Most of it is handled here, in one dental clinic, so you are not sent across town for each thing. What a check-up commonly leads to:

• Restorative work — fillings, a crown where too little tooth is left to hold one, or root canal treatment completed in a single visit.
• Gum treatment — if there is inflammation or bone loss, which is painless until it is advanced and therefore usually found here rather than noticed at home.
• Extraction, when a tooth genuinely cannot be kept — including wisdom teeth. We will tell you when it is avoidable.
• Replacing missing teeth — dental implants, bridges or dentures.
• Cosmetic work, if you want it — teeth whitening, veneers, or braces and Invisalign.
• Dental emergencies — pain, swelling or a broken tooth, seen as soon as we can.

Nothing on that list gets started without a quote you have seen first. Everything we do.