Dental Cleaning: How to Prepare

Many people enjoy their annual or twice per year dental cleaning, as this appointment often results in a fresh feeling mouth. You may be excited about the outcome, or nervous about the visit itself if you do not like the dentist. However, there are some ways to prepare so you get the best experience possible.

The first step is to ensure that your dental insurance covers the dental cleaning. Call them to find out if it is included in your plan, or look over your paperwork and make sure it is recent. You should also call your dentist to make sure the office accepts your insurance provider. Even if you have been there before and the provider was accepted, this is one detail that changes often, so call first to find out if they still accept your insurance. If not, or if you are not insured, you should ask the dentist for the price of the cleaning so you can budget for it. Find out also which payment methods are accepted, such as cash only, personal checks, or certain credit or debit cards.

You should then make your appointment. A dental cleaning does not usually warrant taking a whole day off work since it should not last more than a couple hours at most. However, you may want to take off more than your lunch hour since the length of time may vary. If your gums are sensitive or your teeth have not been cleaned by the dentist in a few years, your mouth may be a little uncomfortable afterward, so try to take off a morning or afternoon from work so you have a little time to recuperate. If you normally enjoy this type of visit, you do not want to ruin it by feeling rushed, which is another reason to request more than an hour off work.

Even though your teeth will be thoroughly cleaned during the visit, you should still brush and floss before it. This is because it will make the dental cleaning go a bit easier and faster, since it means less plaque for the practitioner to get off the teeth. Also, this will be helping out your dentist and their assistant a bit since you come in with fresh breath, not bad breath. This is also why you should avoid onions, garlic, alcohol, or other aromatic foods the day of the appointment, as these smells can take hours or even days to leave your breath. If you like your practitioner and hope to keep going to them for years, it is best to have some courtesy and make your breath as fresh as possible.

These are just the basic considerations to make before your appointment. They are rather easy, as it should only take minutes to ensure you can pay, schedule your visit, and brush your teeth. However, the results are important since they can make both you and your practitioner more at ease during the visit, allowing it to be as enjoyable as possible.