Have You Not Seen a Dentist in Years?

We’ve heard it constantly since we were children: always visit your dentist at least twice a year. But some people don’t have appointments that often – and in some cases, they aren’t having dental checkups at all. Are you one of over 100 million Americans who have been skipping their dental visits? If so, we want you to know that you have nothing to be ashamed of – and that it’s not too late to start giving your smile the care it deserves.

Why People Don’t Visit the Dentist

If you haven’t been to the dentist in years, you probably have a reason for it. For most people, it’s because of at least one of the following:

• Cost: If you don’t have insurance, then dental visits can seem very costly. Not visiting the dentist is often an attempt to save money.
• Time: It can be hard to find time to take off from work or school to visit the dentist, which is why many people find it easier to not have to worry about scheduling appointments at all.
• Anxiety: Around 80% of Americans have some level of dental anxiety. If these fears are strong enough, they can lead to people avoiding the dentist entirely.
• Shame: People who have less-than-perfect oral health are often embarrassed about the state of their teeth and are thus reluctant to let a dentist look inside their mouths.
• Not Thinking They Need To: Many people believe that brushing and flossing are enough to protect their smile. They plan to only visit the dentist if they think they need to.

The Consequences of Not Visiting the Dentist

Whatever your reasons for not visiting the dentist, it’s important to realize that avoiding dental care for a long time has its drawbacks. Dental visits are often your best chance to have plaque and tartar removed from the parts of your mouth that you haven’t been able to reach with your toothbrush. Without regular professional cleanings, bacteria will start to accumulate in these areas, leading to tooth decay and gum disease.

You might think you can afford to wait to see the dentist until an actual problem occurs, but what you may not know is that cavities and gum disease often develop silently. In other words, your teeth and gums could already be in trouble without you realizing it. During a dental checkup, your dentist can look for warning signs of oral health issues while they’re still in their early stages. If they find such problems, they can treat them promptly before they have a chance to cause any severe damage.

It should be noted that if you’ve been avoiding the dentist to try and save time and money, the strategy might backfire in the long run. The longer you go without professional dental care, the greater the risk there is of eventually needing extensive, costly treatment. Regular preventive care is ultimately the better approach for your health, schedule, and wallet.

Going Back to the Dentist’s Office

It can be intimidating to make a dental appointment after several years, but you can rest assured that your dentist will be there to make things easier for you. At our office, we go out of our way to make things as easy as possible for patients who might have been avoiding the dentist for a long time. For example:

• We offer different types of sedation dentistry to help patients overcome their dental anxieties.
• We provide an in-house membership plan and financing options for those that have a hard time fitting dental care into their budgets.
• We don’t judge our patients; we just let them know about their options for treatment so that they can get their oral health back on track.

No matter how long you’ve been away from the dentist’s office, attending regular checkups again is one of the best things you can do to protect your oral health.