For many people, dental checkups fall under the same category as taxes and washing dishes—things that people know that they ought to do, but that they put off until the last possible moment. This is because lots of people don’t exactly love to visit their dentist.
If you’re one of them, you should know that there are things you can do to make your next checkup go smoothly—for you, and your dentist! Here are a few tips that can help you.
Be Attentive
Dentists know that your life is busy, but odds are that they’ve made time in their day to see you. The least you can do is reciprocate that.
When talking to your dentist, make sure to be attentive to what they’re saying. Put your phone away and on silent, take out any headphones, and take off any smart technology if you think it’ll distract you. Being “present” will make the entire appointment go faster and will ensure that you get the most out of your time with your dentist.
Ask Questions
The fact is that dentists can complete many treatments that can better your oral health, but they’re also a vast repository of knowledge about how you can take care of your teeth.
If you’re unhappy with some aspect of your smile, or if you have questions about how best to handle daily dental hygiene, your regular checkup is an opportunity to ask questions about it. Think a little bit about these questions beforehand and have them ready for when you meet.
Be Honest
Generally speaking, dentists can tell when you’re being dishonest with them. They can generally tell how your oral health is just by looking at your teeth, and the questions they ask you are just to learn more about what could be causing the issues that they see.
Lying about flossing when you don’t, omitting information about your smoking habits, or exaggerating how thoroughly you brush doesn’t fool your dentist—it just makes it harder to get the information that they need to help you.
Keep these tips in mind and your next dental checkup should be much easier than you expect.
About Our Practice
At Painted Skies Dental Center, we believe that dentistry should be not only effective, but as easy and comfortable as possible to get. For that reason, we do everything that we can to be a practice where our patients can feel completely comfortable, allowing them to get the dental care that they need without any stress. To those patients who are made anxious by their dentist, we’d love to change how you feel about oral healthcare.
If you have any questions about your next checkup, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (575) 521-8720.