One of the messages we hammer home on our blog is the importance of regular dental care. Stick to a good oral hygiene routine and make regular dental appointments, at least two a year. Regular checkups with your dentist are the best way to keep your dental bills lower, the time you spend in the dentist's chair shorter, and your families wellness higher overall.
This week, in an effort to encourage more visits to the dentist among our readers, we thought we'd address some of the top reasons we believe some people skip out on regular dental care.
I can't get over my fear of the dentist.
Some people out there sit somewhere along the spectrum of being afraid of the dentist. We get it. Our tools can look intimidating, pop culture gives us a bad rap, and sometimes a bad childhood experience can affect someone later in life in profound ways. One of the best things to happen to dentistry, however, is the ability for dentists and their staff to ease the anxiety experienced by someone who is afraid of going to the dentist. If this is you, and it's causing you to neglect parts of your oral health, please make an appointment to talk with your dentist about your fears. We can discuss various options to make your experience more pleasant.
My mouth is in too bad of shape to go to my dentist.
Most dentists have heard, often during a dental emergency, that a patient avoided care because they were afraid of being judged by their dentist. Neglect, decay, and injuries can stack up over the years and make a person feel shame about the condition of their oral health, but we're skilled clinicians and our job is to help people. There is no reason to feel shame. We can only speak for ourselves, of course, but we love to address all cases, no matter the condition, from a standpoint of compassion. Restoring a person back to good health is one of the greatest gifts we can give as dentists.
My tooth/gums stopped hurting, so I don't need to go to the dentist.
Any time you experience slightly persistent pain in your teeth or gums, you should really consider making an appointment with your dentist. Pain is your body's way of issuing a warning sign, and it's a good symptom for dentists to work with, especially if you can narrow down the region or location within your mouth. Also, there are almost no instances where an oral health issue involving tooth or gum pain is simply going to get better on its own. Let us use our diagnostic tools to mitigate the problem before it gets worse.
Thanks for Reading!
We hope if anyone out there is feeling anxiety, shame, or experiencing pain, that this blog post convinces you to set your next dental appointment. Dentists are here to help keep you healthy, and we can work with a variety of issues that all too often keep people from taking care of their oral health.
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