A lot of people still fear dental appointments. Thanks to advances in dental technology, however, you have nothing to worry about as various procedures and treatments have become painless and comfortable. Still, it’s understandable that you’re still on edge whenever an appointment comes your way.
One way to get rid of your anxiety when visiting the dentist is to understand what comes with your appointment. There are various expectations that you need to manage. Getting through each one can help relieve that uneasy feeling during a dental check-up.
What to expect?
- Medical History Review
If you’re visiting a dentist for the first time or if you’re going to a new dentist, expect to have a thorough review of your medical and dental history first. This is a very important part of the process as it gives the dentist an idea of what they need to do to make future appointments more comfortable for you.
Let’s say you’re moving to a new city and with it means you’ll need to change dentists as well. It’s important that your new dentist gets a copy of your dental records from your previous dentist. This helps them continue the treatment you’ve been undergoing over the last couple of years.
This is standard practice across all dental services. As such, you need to be prepared to answer some important questions about your health first.
- Clinical interview
The aim of the interview is:
- to find out reasons for your visits, any concerns about your oral health.
- To get to know any disappointment or fear regarding dental treatment
- To investigate your dental history more in detail
- To know your dental expectations and goals
- Radiographic examination (case-based) Only done on the first appointment and then routinely every 2-3 years, but it is case-based
This will involve a series of X-rays with different views to diagnose any pathology, which cannot be found on the clinical exam alone. As a new patient, the X-rays will set a baseline throughout the years to monitor your oral health.
A panoramic jaw X-ray will allow you to see your upper and lower jawbone and to assess any bone lost as a result, for example, of untreated gum disease.
- An extraoral and an intraoral Thorough Examination
Before you get your teeth treated, your dentist is going to give your mouth a thorough check-up first. This includes checking each part of your teeth, gums, and then the rest of all soft tissues (upper and lower lips, cheeks, tongue, floor of the mouth, palate)
If there are no issues, then you’ll probably be getting a cleaning treatment only with an application of a high concentration of fluoride and you will be recommended to come back for a check-up in 6 months. If not, then the dentist will prepare a treatment plan for you and will discuss it.
- Discussion For a Treatment Plan
If your teeth are well aligned and have no lingering issues, then you’re looking at visiting the dentist at least twice a year. However, if the dentist sees that your teeth can be improved further or if there are problems that need to be fixed (like holes in your teeth, gum disease, etc.), expect the dentist to prepare a treatment plan for you. At Smile Ville we work convenient hours from 10 am to 8pm from Monday to Thursday, Fridays from 8am to 3pm and alternating Saturdays for workers and there are payment plans available via ZIP Money.
For instance, if your teeth didn’t grow properly and you developed an underbite or an overbite, you might be to get braces with Dr. Alex at our practice. Treatment plans are usually long-term commitments with the dentist. Not everyone needs it but if you do, make sure to stick to the plan as much as you can.
There are preparations that need to be made for certain procedures. For instance, you can’t always have a tooth extraction the moment you visit your dentist. Chances are, they’ll first check your health if you’re safe for surgery. Treatment plans take time and it’s all to ensure that things go smoothly.
Knowing what to expect from a comprehensive dental check-up can help relieve most of the anxiety you have about the upcoming appointment. These are what you can expect from yours more or less. There’s no reason to fear the dentist as today’s practices and technology behind dentistry make the experience more comfortable.
New Technology
The world of dentistry is constantly changing. The professionals within the industry all strive to make sure that the process for getting an amazing set of teeth is as easy and as comfortable as ever. They understand that one of the major hurdles when it comes to dental health is the stigma surrounding it.
Covid-19 Preventive Measures
Although the pandemic is definitely less severe than it was years ago, we’re still careful in the industry.
Here at Smileville for instance, we still take various measures to ensure that both our dentists and our patients are safe. Standard practice with our appointments includes a mouth rinse before the appointment, hand sanitisers at the front desk and treatment rooms, and on the clock cleaning of our commonly touched areas.
Don’t be surprised by these extra measures as they are all for the benefit of those involved.
As we ease out of the pandemic, you’re going to see fewer measures being implemented in dental clinics around Australia. That doesn’t mean we aren’t taking care of your health though. There’s still going to be a lot of cleaning and sanitizing on our end to make sure that we all stay safe.
