unpotting orchid to see if it needs water!!!

[ksb]

I read that the best way to see if your orchid needs water is to take it out of the pot and look at the roots to see if they are dry. Does anyone think this is a good idea?
Being curious, I did remove my orchid from the pot to see how the roots were doing. I was surprised to see a lot of 1/2 inch white roots coming out withered gray roots. So I removed the old soil and potted it in fresh soil. But surly you can't do that every time you think it needs water, or can you? Maybe the roots aren't as delicate as I think they are.