Sometimes life gets away from you. We’ve all had times when it feels like there’s too much on our plate or our to-do lists are overwhelming. If circumstances like these have kept you away from the local dentist for a while, we want you to know you’re not alone. Preventative dental care is important, but challenges like anxiety, busy work schedules, and family obligations may get in the way of routine care.
If it’s been a while since you last saw the dentist, the best thing you can do is schedule a visit now. The team at OCMD is dedicated to maintaining a nonjudgmental culture. We promise: our staff will not make you feel guilty for taking a break. Our priority is for you to feel physically and mentally comfortable as we provide the care you need for long-term dental health.
To help ease your mind a bit further, let’s take a look at what you can expect at your first dental visit after years without care.
Reassessing Your Medical History
Before we even look in your mouth, we’ll take some time to discuss your overall health and any changes in your medical history. Maybe you’ve recently had surgery, or perhaps you’ve started a new medication. If you’ve been dealing with any mental health concerns, like anxiety or depression, we’ll discuss those concerns and how they might relate to your oral health.
We also want to know about any changes in your lifestyle since you last saw your local dentist. Perhaps you had a baby, changed careers, or retired. Such changes can have an impact on dental health and how you care for your teeth, so it’s good for us to know about them. At Orange City Modern Dentistry, we take the time to get to know every patient as a whole person. This is one reason why we’re such a great dentist for adults returning to care.
A Gentle Cleaning
Patients who have been away for a while sometimes fear that having their teeth cleaned will hurt. It is true that if you go a long time without a professional cleaning, excess tartar buildup can make cleaning uncomfortable. But rest assured: we have plenty of ways to make the cleaning process as comfortable as possible. Here are a few of the tactics our hygienists frequently use:
- Applying numbing gel to your gums before a cleaning
- Working slowly and carefully to minimize gum trauma
- Using ultrasonic scalers, which break down tartar with less pressure than hand tools
- Allowing frequent breaks for patients to rinse or close their mouths
We may suggest taking an over-the-counter pain reliever before your appointment. If you struggle with tooth sensitivity, using a desensitizing toothpaste for a few weeks before your visit can help.
For patients with dental anxiety, we can also discuss light sedative options that will make your visit far less stressful. Dental anxiety is extremely common; there’s no reason to white-knuckle your way through a visit when dental anxiety help is available. When it comes to gentle dental care, Orange City Modern Dentistry has your back.
Sometimes, we may feel it’s better to clean your teeth in multiple sessions, instead of all at once. If you have a lot of tartar buildup, signs of gum disease, or a health condition that makes it hard to sit still for a longer session, we may only clean one quadrant or one half of your mouth during this first visit. We’ll then follow up with another appointment or appointments.
An Oral Exam and Cancer Screening
Another important part of your dental appointment is the oral exam. Rest assured that this part will be painless! Your local dentist will take a look at your teeth and gums to see whether you’re showing any signs of gum disease or tooth decay.
If you have noticed any symptoms, like tooth sensitivity or bleeding gums, let us know. We’ll look for the most likely cause. Sometimes, these symptoms are just the result of tartar buildup along the gumline, and a thorough cleaning will give you relief. Other times, we may find you have some gingivitis or a cavity that’s bothering you. Either way, the outcome will be better the sooner you seek care.
An often-forgotten component of the oral exam is the oral cancer screening. The dentist will examine your cheek tissue, tongue, lips, and gums for any early signs of cancer. Keep in mind that while oral cancer is most common in smokers, it can happen to anyone, and the early symptoms are easy to miss. Early diagnosis is key to successful treatment. So, even if the idea of seeing the dentist makes you feel a bit nervous, it really is best to make sure any signs of cancer are detected ASAP.
Routine X-Rays
We can see a lot by simply looking at your teeth, but we cannot see everything. That’s why X-rays are an important part of preventative dental care, especially if you’ve been away for a while. X-rays allow your local dentist to see your tooth roots and also to spot any decay on the surfaces between your teeth.
Dental x-rays can be a little awkward to have taken, but they’re painless. We’ll position the instrument in your mouth, take the x-ray, and then look at the resulting images on the screen. X-rays allow us to see cavities while they’re still small, painless, and easy to fill. They can be a good way to figure out what’s causing symptoms like tooth sensitivity or jaw aches, so we can recommend the very best treatment to make you comfortable again.
Next Steps and Recommendations
Seeing the local dentist after a long break can feel like a big step. In fact, it is a big step – and a really important one! But it is only the first step towards a more comprehensive, preventative oral care routine. At this visit, we’ll make some recommendations to help improve your dental health and continue addressing any concerns we may discover.
If we find that you have gum disease, which is really common after a lapse in dental care, we may suggest an antiseptic mouthwash for you to use. In more serious cases, antibiotics or a more involved cleaning procedure, known as scaling, may be needed.
If we discover one or more cavities, we’ll work with you to create a game plan for filling them. Dental fillings are fairly routine, and we use local anesthetics to ensure they are painless. We may also suggest replacing any old fillings that are showing signs of deterioration.
Tooth sensitivity is another common concern among returning patients. The professional cleaning itself can cause some mild soreness and irritation. We may suggest you avoid hot or cold beverages for a week or two until the sensitivity subsides. Desensitizing toothpaste can really help, too.
At Orange City Modern Dentistry, the last thing we want is for anxiety, embarrassment, or shame to keep anyone from seeing the dentist. Whether it’s been six months, six years, or 16 years since your last cleaning appointment, feel free to contact us. We are the dentist Orange City trusts to make visiting as painless and stress-free as possible.