Even as adults, there seem to be certain things that we dread doing — filing taxes, doing the dishes, getting haircuts, and of course, going to the dentist. It’s all too common for people to schedule an appointment for a dental cleaning and then keep rescheduling because something always comes up. And when you finally make it in and sit in the chair for 45 minutes, it never seems that bad. And then we go another year, two years, or even more before making another appointment. This is exactly the habit that gets us into trouble when we visit the dentist, making it easier to put off going again — who wants to be lectured over not flossing enough?
So, if it’s been more than six months since you last got a teeth cleaning, here are some tips to make it easier to visit the dentist, and to keep going consistently.
Make an Appointment at the Office
After your cleaning is complete and you’re feeling how smooth your teeth feel with your tongue, and the hygienist asks you if you want to go ahead and make another appointment — say yes! It will be so much easier to get another cleaning on the books than to put it off, forget to call, and end up not making another appointment for who knows how long. Take the opportunity, when your calendar isn’t full of soccer games, happy hours, or oil changes, to get in a visit with your local Cheyenne dentist. This way you don’t even have to worry about it until a week before when you get a reminder on your phone.
Do Something Fun After
When you know that you’re headed in to do something that isn’t much fun, you can at least make what you do after fun! Treat yourself to a shopping spree, go to see a movie that you’ve wanted to see, pick up a bouquet of flowers, go home and take a nice hot bath, or simply take a drive and listen to your favorite podcast in peace. You may not look forward to the teeth cleaning itself, but give yourself something to look forward to after the appointment! It’ll be a great opportunity to unwind and relax.
Listen to Music
After the dentist has asked you how you’re doing, if you’ve felt anything wrong with your teeth, and after they’ve looked at your teeth to make sure there aren’t any obvious signs of trouble, grab your phone and put on some tunes. The hygienist will be in your mouth cleaning, so you won’t be able to talk much anyway. If you have questions, or if they do, there can be hand signals to show that something needs to be said. This way you can focus on your favorite artist instead of the sounds of the tools.
Make a Relationship
At East Pershing Dental, while we love cleaning teeth, we also care about you as a person. We want to get to know you so that you feel more and more comfortable after each visit. Working towards a friendly relationship will make visiting the dentist easier because you’re going to see a friendly face. After a few visits, you’ll know more about each other than you realize.
We understand that making a dentist appointment can be a chore, but trust us when we say that we know how important it is to have clean teeth. We hope that these tips make it easier to visit your local Cheyenne dentist regularly. Call us today to schedule an appointment!
