Prepare Yourself for a Dental Appointment

So you have a den­tist appoint­ment booked and you are get­ting ready to go. Here are some things that you need to know to make your visit com­fort­able for you and your dentist.

Anes­the­sia It is some­times nec­es­sar­ily to numb part of your

tongue and cheek.

• Do not plan to give speeches or answer phones in your office after your den­tist appoint­ment – the best out­come is that you sim­ply won’t be able to do it, in the worst case sce­nario you will end up with badly bit­ten cheek.

• And obvi­ously you will have to for­get about meals until the numb­ness goes away. So it is rec­om­mended to have a proper meal before going to the den­tist plus it will pre­vent dizzi­ness dur­ing an anes­thetic injection.

• Refrain from meals with gar­lic, fish and onion.

• Also, we hope you won’t for­get about basic hygiene: brush your teeth and use den­tal floss before com­ing to you appointment.

Alcohol It is not rec­om­mended to con­sume alco­hol the day before your visit. If you have a party planned, you need to con­sider that alco­hol can stay in your blood for up to 94 hours. Dur­ing this time the effec­tive­ness of anaes­thetic decreases.

Dur­ing the appointment If it is your first appoint­ment in the clinic you will be asked to fill up a ques­tion­naire. Your answers will help the den­tist to bet­ter under­stand your needs and to choose the right treatment.

Before the pro­ce­dure you can agree with the den­tist on a “stop” sign, like ris­ing a hand if you need a break. This way you will feel more con­fi­dent and in con­trol of the sit­u­a­tion. For the same rea­sons you can ask your den­tist to tell you what she/he is doing and com­ment on the process. What you should never do is grab dentist’s hands. Hold on to the chair if you need to. At the end of your appoint­ment you can ask your den­tist any ques­tions that may have risen before, such as: Which tooth paste to use? What to do and what to eat to keep your teeth healthy? These are good ques­tions to ask at the end of your appoint­ment, because by then your den­tist should know the con­di­tions of your teeth and gums and can not only rec­om­mend how hard or soft your tooth­brush should be, what to look for while select­ing tooth­paste and what thick­ness den­tal floss you should use, but also to advise you on your diet.

Your den­tist is the only per­son who can answer those ques­tions for you. Do not miss this oppor­tu­nity. Each per­son is unique and stan­dard rules may not work for every­one – hygiene prod­ucts and rec­om­men­da­tions are dif­fer­ent for every person.

Relax and enjoy your visit. You doing the right thing!