Life is full of embarrassing moments, such as when you forget someone’s name you really should know by now, you dress inappropriately for a party or work event, or you say the wrong thing in front of your boss or in-laws. One important experience doesn’t have to feel embarrassing at all: visiting the dentist. Even if you have avoided this appointment for a long time, you don’t have to dread this situation or feel mortified to have your dentist look at your mouth. How can you know your dental visit won’t be embarrassing? Keep reading to find out!

When it comes to health issues of any kind, early detection and professional treatment are almost always better than kicking the proverbial can down the road. For cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, early detection can mean the difference between early death and a longer, healthier life, but even for oral problems like cavities and gum disease, it matters. Why should you keep going to your regular dental checkups and prioritize early detection? Check out these powerful reasons!

Getting caught in a faux pas can be embarrassing to say the least. You worry about the other person’s judgmental thoughts and dread that others will find out about your uncouth habits as well. When you visit the dentist, there are some revealing things they can learn from you by simply looking in your mouth, but surprisingly, they won’t judge you at all! Keep reading to learn more about these faux pas and why you should work with your dentist to get back on track with your habits.

You Come in Only for Dental Emergencies.

A quick look at your records will show how infrequently you visit the dentist, but your mouth can also betray this fact. Looking at your teeth, gums, and oral structures for your emergency visit, your dentist can tell when an issue could have been identified sooner. Especially if your emergency stems from tooth decay or biting something that normally wouldn’t break a teeth, signs indicate that the problem developed over time. If you come regularly, they can find the problem and fix it before it leads to an emergency.

You Don’t Replace Your Toothbrush Often.

In your mind, brushing with a worn toothbrush is better than nothing; however, you should replace your toothbrush about every 3 to 4 months. Warped bristles don’t clean effectively or efficiently no matter how diligently you brush. If you have held onto your old toothbrush for too long, your teeth may have more plaque, your gums may be inflamed from not getting directly cleaned, or the middle of your teeth may be slightly more worn than other areas.

You Don’t Floss Every Day.

Did you know that brushing your teeth only cleans about 60 percent of surfaces of your teeth? A significant amount of enamel isn’t accessible with your toothbrush, which means that if you don’t floss every day, you’ll leave nearly half of your teeth with food debris and plaque.

Flossing only takes a couple of minutes daily, but it clears the small spaces between teeth, drastically reducing buildup, especially near the gumline.

You Brush Just Once Daily.

Either in the morning or at night, you may be in a rush, but brushing just once per day doesn’t take care of the exposure your teeth have to bacteria in plaque. White, sticky plaque hardens within hours, becoming hard calculus. At that point, only professional cleaning with a dental team can take it off. Brushing twice per day limits the amount of plaque your teeth accumulate and gives you a better chance to avoid problems later.

Ultimately, your dentist will recognize these faux pas, but that doesn’t mean they will think poorly of you or shame you. Instead, they will bring issues to your attention for treatment, encourage you to adopt healthier habits, and even give you advice for overcoming bad ones. You can’t fool your dentist, but working with one doesn’t have to be embarrassing. It can be rewarding!

About the Practice

Williamsburg Dental is intricately connected to the Lincoln community with six locations. Our dentists not only have advanced training about most dental issues, but they also have compassion and empathy for our patients, which means you don’t have to worry about getting lectured at your appointments. We focus on meeting your needs as well as helping you regain function and confidence. To schedule an appointment, reach out to your preferred location via phone call or our website.

Especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, people obsessed over how clean objects are. Disinfecting counters, doorknobs, technology, desks, light switches, and chairs became essential to reduce the risk of infection, and while people have eased their strict cleaning, the idea of bacteria and viruses anywhere can scare people. Believe it or not, you likely have more than 700 types of bacteria living in your mouth right now! However, before you worry or do something rash or unhealthy, learn more about how probiotics can help you maintain safe control of oral bacteria.

When you became an adult, you probably found out quickly that life involves tasks you don’t really enjoy or find hard to do, but you learn to do them anyway because they are necessary. For example, you may not love going to the dentist for checkups and cleanings, you really need to get it done to avoid dealing with tooth pain or even losing your teeth from poor care. If you find the cleaning and checkup uncomfortable or unpleasant, did you know you can take certain actions to make these appointments easier for yourself and your dentist? Keep reading to learn what you can do to simplify your dental care and shorten these visits.

Did you know that about 50 percent of American adults above the age of 30 have an advanced form of gum disease? At first, this statistic may not seem serious or worrisome, but when you consider the strong connection between gum disease and the increased risk for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain kinds of cancer, this high number of affected people rises in importance. As with many other infections, the sooner gum disease is identified and treated, the better! But how can you detect the first stage (called gingivitis) if you aren’t a trained dentist? Here are some early signs of gingivitis to look for!

When you hear about conditions like heart disease or diabetes, you immediately can see how life-changing and potentially life-shortening they can be. In other words, you may be more interested in learning how to avoid these conditions or how to treat them. Although you may not realize it, gum disease can have serious and devastating impacts on your smile and your overall health. If you already have this infection, you should ask your dentist these important questions to understand gum disease, its treatment, and prevention in the future.

When medications are created, studied and tested, and taken by patients, sometimes other potential unintended uses become clear. While it was originally intended to help with one condition, it may also address another part or issue in the body. This phenomenon is called an “off-label” technique or solution. Until you have a doctor or dentist tell you about it, you may not know this off-label treatment is available! For instance, did you know that BOTOX can be used on your neck as well as your face? Learn more about this off-label use of BOTOX in the content below.

Chances are someone you know has had dermal filler treatment to fight the natural effects of aging on their face. However, before you follow their example, you should know as much about the injections as you can to make the best decision for your own body. Here is an overall guide to dermal fillers and information you must know to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Everything comes with an expiration date in life. Even non-perishable foods only last so long before starting to go bad. Unfortunately, many treatments, especially cosmetic ones, don’t stay perfect forever because natural aging and skin changes will always return after a while. The results you get from BOTOX look amazing, but keep in mind that they aren’t permanent! Learn more about BOTOX and why you should still consider it, even though it is temporary.