Visiting Dentists

Whether your first visit to any dentists takes place when you are two years old, twenty or forty; there is no need to feel or be embarrassed. The simplicity of a consultation can produce great anxiety for all of those who have avoided or could not afford to visit any dentists for a long time. However, if you don’t go now, whatever may be brewing in your oral cavity may reach the point of no return if you wait just one more year. We have to look beyond the potential of pain to the sensation of overwhelming relief when you visit your dentist’s office for the fifth, tenth, or twentieth time and she says: “Good work. I have no complaints or concerns. I’ll see you in six months.” What a sigh of relief. But you have to show up, and do the work, and let the work be done in your mouth in order to get there.

The first step is setting an appointment. Try not to think create scenarios of what might go wrong or how someone is going to strap you to a chair and begin working on you immediately. No one will lift a tool to your mouth without your permission. Seriously, the first meeting is called your consultation because as it suggest, you and the doctor are merely there to gain an understanding of your current oral health concerns while she is there to explain what skills, techniques, equipments and referrals that office can offer to help you reach your goals. You will also receive a basic physical examination and x-rays to begin your file, as a point of reference throughout your progression. The issues that are discovered through conversation, examination and x-ray will be investigated at later visits when you are ready to make an appointment. You may be recommended for common procedures such as cleanings, fillings, extractions or orthodontic intervention, but the first step is to revise your home oral health care with your physician. The doctor or dental hygienist will be happy to explain the most effective method for brushing and flossing.

Once you have made your recommended appointments, the second step is following the doctor’s orders. They are only meant for your best interest, not to continue any type of torture. You can look at your visits to the dentist’s office as a recommitment to your oral health. You can begin brushing and flossing twice daily, you can use the prescribed rinses, stay away from the late night sodas, brush after sugary foods and use your night guard to reduce the consequences of bruxism. You will watch your teeth appear whiter as the pains subside and taste and feel of your mouth improves overall.

The third step is to return for your follow up visits. Look at it as an opportunity to get a pat on the back after all of your hard work. Follow ups are an opportunity for your dentists to document your progress. She will continue to give you advice and use the necessary tools to clean below the gum line and tighten your braces and whiten between your teeth. But it is all a part of helping you live comfortably without worry of disease, infection, or deterioration. Not if they can help it, and dentists can.

Now that you have made the connection with your oral health specialist and you’ve improved your oral hygiene skills, you are well on your way. As long as you discuss any aches, pains, fluids, infections and fears that you have along the way, you will be making the best of the benefit of expert advice and gradually improving overall health