Coming Back To The Dentist After A Long Hiatus

Posted on: 10 August 2015

Time can slip away for many reasons, and sometimes you may find yourself going back to the dentist after many years without a dental appointment. Here are some things that you can expect when you haven't been to the dentist in many years.

A Longer Deep Clean

One thing that your dentist will probably want to do is a deep clean to remove all the plaque that has built up over the past few years. This cleaning will probably take a lot longer than a regular cleaning, so prepare to spend a few hours in the dentist's chair. But the result will be to reverse some of the damage that built-up plaque is causing your enamel.

Cavities and Root Canals

After many years without replacing your fillings and getting a dental inspection, you might have quite a few cavities. Your dentist will help you come up with a treatment plan to cover all of the raw spots. You may need to make several different visits to fill the cavities, although your dentist can try to group together cavities that are in the same area into one visit. You may want to spread these visits out a bit, since going under anesthetic can sometimes interfere with your other planned activities.

If you had some fillings that needed to be replaced over the past few years, they might be to the point where a root canal is necessary. Your dentist or endodontist will treat these deep cavities and place a restorative crown on your tooth.

Your Visit May Be Uncomfortable

Note that the dentist's visit may be uncomfortable the first time that you go back in for a checkup. You won't be used to having someone look inside your mouth, and your gums might be more sensitive to the dentist's tools. Be sure that your dentist knows you haven't been for an appointment in a while; they may be able to use less pressure to test the gums and other areas in your mouth.

Assess Your Lifestyle

After a while away from the dentist, your dentist may want to do a more thorough evaluation of your health habits in relation to brushing, flossing, and drinking sugary foods or caffeine. After many years of bad effects, it may be easier to see how these habits affect your teeth over time, so you can work to correct some of the problems that have caused staining and erosion to your teeth. By reestablishing a great dental routine, you can help to prevent cavities and erosion in the future.

For more information, contact a local dental clinic like Pike Lake Dental Center

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Welcome to Sara's Site

Hi there! My name is Sara Jerba. I'm no doctor, but I'm very familiar with them due to experience. You could say I was a sickly child. Between various allergies and a few other conditions, I got to be very good friends with my doctors and nurses. Although I hate staying overnight in the hospital, I do feel quite at home there. Now, don't feel sorry for me. Most of my conditions have eased or even abated entirely as I've grown up. And none of them were ever life-threatening--just inconvenient. It's actually been very positive in the long run; it's brought a lot of wonderful people and important knowledge into my life that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

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