Okemos, Lansing, East Lansing MI
Life can be busy, and sometimes you forget about an appointment you booked many months ago, like your upcoming dentist appointment. You might feel like you’re too busy, or perhaps something else came up and requires your time and attention. However, Okemos’ favorite dentist, Dr. Christine Tenaglia, shares four reasons why you shouldn’t cancel your dentist appointment.
Dental checkups and cleanings are necessary to maintain your oral health
You might think that dental cleanings and checkups aren’t all that beneficial. However, these visits are part of the foundation necessary to protect your oral health. Everyone gets tartar buildup, which can only be removed by a professional dental cleaning. Although you may be the best and most diligent at brushing and flossing your teeth every day, it’s natural to develop some level of tartar. Even dentists get tartar buildup and have to get their teeth cleaned. Plus, these preventive care appointments allow the dentist to discover any changes in your oral health, like oral cancer, cavities, loose or failed dental restorations, or gum disease. Neglecting any one of these conditions could result in extensive treatments that are more costly than preventive care.
You might need restorative care
If you’ve already been told that you have a damaged tooth, small cavity, or an old crown that requires treatment, you shouldn’t put it off. While you might not feel any pain now, eventually, the damage deepens, reaching the tooth’s pulp where it affects the nerve, causing pain or infection. If your primary doctor told you that you had a small, infected lesion on your skin, would you ignore it or seek treatment right away to prevent it from spreading? Maintain the same line of thought when it comes to your oral health because it’s easy to forget about needing dental work until you experience significant pain. By then, your tooth might be too far gone to save.
It could take months to reschedule your appointment
Most dental hygiene schedules stay booked pretty far in advance, especially since everything has bounced back following the pandemic. Many people are getting on the schedule after a two-year hiatus. Therefore, canceling an appointment could mean that you have to wait months for a new appointment. Unfortunately, this has been the case for many dental practices and doctor’s offices lately. Therefore, think twice before canceling your appointment!
It’s best to remain on track
As with any other good habit, it’s best not to lapse and remain on track. The same ideology can be true of your oral health. The American Dental Association recommends dental checkups and cleanings twice a year or once every six months. It’s best to remain on track with your appointments so that you can follow the recommended guidelines by the ADA and your dentist. Plus, if your dental insurance covers most or all of your preventive appointments, like cleanings and checkups, you could end up wasting some of those benefits by not getting both appointments in each calendar year. Remember, unused benefits expire at the end of the year, and you won’t get any return or refund for not using your coverage.
Dental Cleanings in Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing
At Tenaglia Smiles, we believe in prevention to maintain an attractive, healthy smile. So the next time you’re tempted to cancel your dental appointment, think twice! We understand that life happens, and sometimes, you have no other choice but to reschedule. However, we urge patients to make every effort possible to stay on track with their appointments. If you’ve lapsed in your dental care, now is the time to get on the books for a checkup and cleaning. To learn more about protecting your oral health or schedule an appointment, contact Tenaglia Smiles by calling (517) 347-6733 or contact us on our website.