What to Know Before Your Next Dental Checkup

Do you have a dentist appointment coming up soon? Or, is scheduling a visit to the dentist on your to-do list? Good for you! Regularly attending professional cleanings is an important part of an oral care routine. To help you make the most of your upcoming appointment, we’ve compiled a list of a few things you should know before your next dental checkup.

Brushing & Flossing Can Help Prevent Bleeding

When you’ve attended dental checkups in the past, did you find that the cleaning made your gums bleed? If so, you’re not alone, but there’s something you can do to prevent that from happening in the future: Keep up with a regular brushing and flossing routine (the American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day and flossing once a day).

But if dental cleanings are already making your gums bleed, won’t brushing and flossing more often make the problem even worse? Actually, the opposite is true. When you don’t brush and floss often enough, plaque begins building up on your teeth, and the bacteria within that plaque can cause your gums to become inflamed. This inflammation is what makes your gums more prone to bleeding. So, make it a point to keep up with an at-home oral care routine—while your gums may bleed at first, you’ll likely find that the bleeding will soon subside.

Don’t Scrub Your Teeth Before Your Visit

Doesn’t this contradict our previous point about brushing and flossing every day? Not quite. You should certainly brush your teeth before visiting the dentist, especially if you’ve eaten a meal since the last time you brushed. What you shouldn’t do is harshly scrub your teeth in the hopes that it will remove all the plaque and tartar that have accumulated since your last visit. All you’ll end up doing is irritating your gums, which will likely make your dental checkup a painful and unpleasant one.

We Want to Know What’s Bothering You

If you’re experiencing any dental issues—for example, tooth pain, sensitivity, or looseness—it’s important to bring them to your dentist’s attention. Many people keep problems like these to themselves, hoping that the issues will resolve on their own without the need for professional care. But oftentimes, dental problems worsen if left untreated, so letting your dentist know about them now may spare you additional time and expense down the road. Plus, the sooner your dentist knows about the symptoms you’re experiencing, the sooner they can help you find relief.

Schedule Your Next Dental Checkup

Dentists generally recommend attending checkups at least twice a year, so if it’s been longer than six months since your last visit, now’s the time to make an appointment. Fortunately, if you’re in Sun City, Sun City West, Litchfield Park, or the surrounding area, you can have your checkup easily completed at Burns Dentistry, a local practice with a team possessing 100+ years of combined experience. Contact us today to schedule a dental checkup at the time that works best for you.