What to Expect at a Dental Visit
Over a third of the American adult population deal with some concept of dental anxiety or dental phobia. By avoiding the dentist altogether, they are now compounding their dental issues and therefore complicating the responsive measures that they will now be forced to take to correct what was initially just a simple preventable problem. Benjamin Franklin best summed it up with “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If you just accept the fact that your dentist is an important and caring member of your health team and whose job is to keep you healthy, you will make serious strides in a positive direction of actually looking forward to your next dental visit.
Your First Visit will be Repeated Each and Every Time
The health industry strongly recommends that you visit your dentist every six months. The extremely basic procedures that you can expect begin with an examination of your teeth, your gums, and all the soft tissue. They will perform an oral screening of your lips, cheeks, tongue, and neck looking for any signs of cancer. They will use a small hand tool to probe each tooth to identify any soft enamel that is indicative of a cavity. Your gums will be examined looking for evidence of gum disease. X-rays will document the health and any changes below the gumline. All these elements are recorded as your dentist creates and builds a history of your oral health. Finally, they will finish your checkup with a professional cleaning of your teeth, removing the damaging plaque. These steps will be repeated at every evaluation. What you exercise at home with your daily oral hygiene will determine the necessary measures to be taken at your next exam.
Your At-Home Oral Hygiene
Your dentist will strongly recommend that you carefully brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. They will show you proper techniques if deemed beneficial. They will also instruct you to floss at least once a day. These simple daily habits practiced at home will go a long way in establishing a preventative approach with the condition of your teeth and gums.
Future Dental Visits
If you avoid and neglect these simply habits, you are promoting an environment that will advance the development of damaging plaque. Plaque buildup quickly results in both dental cavities and gum disease. This will take your visit from a simple examination and a satisfying cleaning to now the removal of a dental cavity, or deep scaling and root planing, to remove the plaque which is the sole source of the gum disease. Of course, there may be a future visit due to an accident or addressing a broken or missing tooth, but these causes unfortunately cannot be prevented.
The Value of Your Smile
Your dental team will be proactive in addressing your smile. An undervalued asset, your smile is foundational in the development of your self-confidence, your self-esteem, and your personality. Your dentist may suggest simple teeth whitening to enhance your smile. Other treatments may be possible that you might not even be aware of. Accept and appreciate your oral health teammate and let them contribute to your overall well-being.