What Do My Dental Records Look Like?

BG Placeholder
X-ray scan of humans teeth

What Do My Dental Records Look Like?

Your dental records are a combination of different types of information. There are written descriptive records, photographic records and charts.

The descriptive records are much like what you see your GP typing up when you have an appointment with your doctor. They are readable and understandable to most people, even if they contain a bit of dental jargon and even a little notation shorthand. These notes are often updated during or after every visit.

The photographic records are things like scans and x-rays. You can take a look at these yourself and if you have some experience in interpreting radiological images you could probably work out what they show.

The charts are a sort of dentistry only form of record. Your dentist has this odd tooth chart diagram that they use (using coloured markings on teeth). It’s a visual way for them to track what they see happening as well as to record what they’ve done to repair your teeth. To the untrained eye the chart looks like coloured squiggles on teeth, to your dentist it has lots of important information and lots of meaning.

Posted in
Dr Alan

Have a Question you’d like to ask our
Dental Care Professionals?