Cervix checks?

So I had my cervix checked Monday and my doctor told me that my cervix hadn’t started doing anything. I’m currently 35 weeks and 5 days. They asked me again if I wanted her to check it today and I said no bc I had just had it checked. And I didn’t think I had changed much. But can u dialate without contractions? I maybe have 3 to 5 a day and some days I have none and they are not really that painful. Just wondering if you can actually tell when you have dialated?