Oral Care Tips to Make Your Dental Exam Easier

A dental exam gives your dentist a chance to assess the condition of your teeth and perform preventative treatments. Biannual visits to the dentist are the modern standard, and these ensure developing issues do not have much time to progress before being detected and treated.

Oral care tips to make your dental exam go smoother

There are some simple things patients can do to make their visit to the dentist go smoother. It can also help them to score points with their oral care provider since dentists appreciate patients who are considerate of those who help to take care of their teeth. Oral hygiene tips to prepare for a dental exam include:

1. Brush and floss before your appointment

Cleaning your mouth before your dental appointment removes food particles and debris from your teeth, and it makes the experience more pleasant for the dentist. Only floss before dental appointments if it is something you do regularly since it can leave gums that are not used to being flossed irritated prior to your check-up. Feel free to use an antibacterial mouthwash to freshen your breath as well before the examination.

2. Remove oral jewelry

Dentists recommend removing any jewelry like tongue or lip piercings before dental examinations. The same goes for items like grills. Dentists cannot work with such items in their patient's mouth, and they would have to be removed before the examination. Dentists typically do not recommend using any form of mouth jewelry at all since they can damage teeth and soft tissues in the mouth.

3. Clean off lipstick

Patients who wear lipstick should remember to wipe it off before their dental examination. Besides making a mess, lipstick makes it harder for dentists to detect signs of oral cancer on the lips like bumps and tumors.

Other things patients can do to prepare for their dental checkups include:

• Get there early: Getting to a dental appointment early gives the patient a chance to relax before their appointment. It also gives them more time to fill out any paperwork that still needs to be done
• Avoid eating before your appointment: Dental check-ups involve keeping your mouth open for up to an hour while a dentist examines your mouth and cleans your teeth. It is a comfortable experience for most people, but it can trigger some people’s gag reflexes, especially when they have a full belly
• Get your records and insurance documents together: Patients should gather all the documents they might need to present during their appointments like medical records and their insurance documents

Regular dental examinations are essential for good oral health

Biannual trips to the dentist go a long way when it comes to keeping teeth healthy. There is never a good reason to miss these routine appointments since they virtually guarantee you never have to deal with major dental issues. Give us a call or visit our Carmel clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.

Request an appointment here: https://www.carmelsmilesdentist.com or call Smiles in the Village Dentistry at (317) 200-3679 for an appointment in our Carmel office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Cleaning and Examinations in Carmel, IN.