Finding a good dental hygiene routine and sticking to it is an essential part of caring for your smile, but for the best oral health, you should be seeing a dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning. Here at Boger Dental, we know that many people have anxiety about these appointments, but they don’t have to be something you dread! Sometimes simply knowing what to expect can make the process less stressful. Whether it’s your first time visiting our Plymouth office or the first time you’ve been in a while, we’re here to take the fear out of dental care. Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from a checkup with us.
Before your appointment
When you schedule your appointment with us, ask for an estimate of how long the examination and cleaning are likely to take—then add a bit to it! Giving yourself enough time off school or work will help you feel less rushed, and you’ll also be less anxious about getting back by a certain time.
If it’s been a while since your last visit, you may need to spend a little more time in the chair, so you might want to take that into account as well. If you’d prefer to avoid rushing altogether, an end-of-day appointment may be a good idea since you’ll be able to head for home as soon as we’re finished.
Our website gives you the option to fill out your patient forms online, but if you plan to do it in the office, you should arrive a few minutes before your appointment time in order to do so. You’ll want to have your driver’s license and insurance card ready when you check-in at the reception desk. We kindly ask that you call us as soon as possible if you are unable to make it to your appointment on time. We’ll be happy to arrange a new date and time that works for you.
What to expect from your first visit with Boger Dental
During your first visit to our Plymouth office, our team will take down a full health history for you. On subsequent visits, you’ll just need to let us know if your health status has changed in any way. Most of our dental visits are checkups. Scheduling regular checkups will help keep your teeth and gums in great shape, and also allow us to catch potential problems early on. This can often keep them from developing into something more serious.
Regular checkups with us will generally include a complete cleaning, which will be performed by one of our dentists or one of our dental hygienists. We use a special instrument to scrape below the gum line, removing any built-up plaque and tartar. This reduces your risk of developing cavities, gum disease, bad breath, and other dental issues. Following this, we may also polish and floss your teeth before carrying out an in-depth examination of your teeth, gums, and mouth.
The longer you wait between dental checkups, the more hard tartar can build up on your teeth and around the gum line. A deep cleaning session to remove this tartar can be mildly uncomfortable for some patients, but it’s worth it for how clean and smooth your teeth feel afterwards! Your comfort is our priority, so if your jaw feels sore or you have any pain while we’re cleaning, don’t be afraid to let us know. We’ll be happy to give you a break.
Please let us know if you suffer from sensitive teeth when you schedule your appointment, when you arrive, or when you get in the chair. We can often offer you a variety of numbing options before we begin the cleaning process. During the exam, one of our dentists will inspect your teeth and mouth for any potential problems. This includes signs of tooth decay, gingivitis, and gum disease. We’ll also discuss any concerns you have or go over any problems you’ve been experiencing, such as toothaches or increased sensitivity.
X-rays during your visit
At Boger Dental, our ultimate goal is to help you maintain excellent oral health and provide quality preventative care by identifying and treating issues as soon as we can. New patient appointments will usually require x-rays so that our dentists can get a good look at what’s happening with the teeth, gums, and supporting bone structures. This may be required for visits where more than a couple of years have passed, as well.
X-rays can also diagnose problems that may otherwise go unnoticed. These may include impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts, tumors, damage to the jawbone, and decay in between the teeth. In some cases, we may also do a panoramic X-ray, which provides us with a complete view of your upper and lower jaw in a single image. This can give our dentists more insight into the relationship between the teeth and your arch, and also helps them understand your bite a bit better.
Keeping you comfortable during your visit
Our team is committed to helping you feel comfortable and cared for during every visit to our office. Our expert team has been trained to respond to any anxiety you may be feeling over your appointment, and we’ve created a relaxing atmosphere with spa-like amenities to keep things as stress-free as possible. These include:
- hospitality water and coffee bar
- convenient wireless internet access
- cozy blankets
- paraffin hand wax
- sound-blocking headphones
- flat-screen satellite TVs
- satellite radio
- sedation options
- warmed aromatherapy towels
- a variety of courtesy toiletries
We’ll do whatever we can to make your visit with us a pleasant one!
Follow-up care after your first visit
If it’s been a while since you had a checkup, you may experience some slight tenderness after your visit. This can also happen if you’ve had a deep cleaning or had any dental work done. For tenderness, ask our dentists about taking an over-the-counter pain reliever. Be sure to call our office if you experience any pain or swelling so we can advise you on the next steps.
If your mouth is healthy, we recommend an exam and cleaning every six months. If we find anything during your visit that requires further treatment, you should make an appointment before leaving the office. You’ll likely need to be seen sooner than you normally would so we can take care of the issue in a timely manner.
If you have questions or concerns at any point during your visit, don’t hesitate to bring them up! We always want you to feel valued, respected, and confident in your decision to trust us with your smile.
Trust your smile to the expert team at Boger Dental
Whether you need a new dental practice or we just haven’t seen you in a while, we’d love to see you! We work so hard to make you feel welcome that you never have to fear a checkup in our office. To keep your smile looking and feeling great, get in touch today to schedule an appointment!