Despite what you may have heard, there’s no reason to be afraid of your first dental visit in a new place. Dental appointments are rarely the painful places they’ve been made out to be in pop culture and media.
If you’ve been brushing and taking care of your teeth, you probably won’t be subjected to any painful medical procedures.
In fact, you’ll most likely leave with cleaner teeth and a free toothbrush if your dentist is feeling particularly kind that day.
So sit back, relax, and rest assured that your dental visit will almost certainly be a pleasant one.
X-Ray
If you haven’t been to the dentist in a long time, or it’s your first visit, the first thing they’re likely to do is to do an x-ray.
The point of an x-ray is to assess the condition your teeth are in and give the dentist a better understanding of the overall health of your teeth.
It’s unlikely you’ll have anything to worry about unless you’re one of the 30% of Americans who don’t brush their teeth often enough.
Dental Exam
After your x-ray, the dentist will do an exam to check your teeth and gums.
This is the part of the exam where they examine your gums to check for gum disease.
The results of this should be predictable to you, as neglecting to brush your teeth or floss will cause a range of unpleasant symptoms that presented themselves long before you went to the dentist.
This exam is also the most time the dentist will tell you that you haven’t been flossing enough. If your gums are too sensitive for flossing, your dentist can recommend some alternatives to traditional flossing that will get the job done.
Teeth Cleaning and Scheduling Your Next Dental Visit
After your exam is over, you can look forward to teeth cleaning. This is where your dentist and their assistant will clean your teeth of hard to reach plaque that you missed if you don’t floss.
After that’s over, you can ask your dentist any questions about dental hygiene and about scheduling a teeth whitening. Your smile will look brighter and you’ll feel better.
Then your dental visit is almost done! All that’s left is to go to the front desk and pay, then schedule your next appointment.
Going to The Dentist Doesn’t Have to be Scary
It’s always important to remember that your dentist is there to help you take care of your teeth.
More often than not, the most painful part of visiting any dentist is the lecture on remembering to floss, and setting up the next dental visit, not some painful medical procedure.
In fact, if you do need to get something like a root canal done, it’s very unlikely that your dentist will give you one right there on the spot. But, it’s unlikely you need anything that drastic done in the first place.
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