Are you making it a point to see your dentist at least once every six months? If not, you should start doing this right away to make sure you’re able to take good care of your dental health and keep your teeth clean.
During each and every dentist appointment, you should also be prepared to ask your dentist a series of questions. You’ll be able to stay on top of your oral health more effectively by getting answers to these questions and putting them to good use.
Here are eight important questions to run by your dentist when you’re at your next dentist appointment.
1. How Is My Overall Oral Health?
During a dentist appointment, you’re going to have your teeth cleaned. You’re also going to have your teeth, gums, and other parts of your mouth evaluated by our North York dentists.
After they’re done looking at everything that’s going on inside your mouth, you should ask your dentist to provide you with a report card of sorts. They should be able to give you some indication as to what your oral health is like.
In a perfect world, your dentist will tell you that you’re doing a great job maintaining your teeth, gums, etc. and that you don’t have anything to worry about. But no matter what kind of report they give you, it’ll be good to know where your oral health stands.
2. What Could I Be Doing to Take Better Care of My Teeth?
After you have your teeth cleaned, your dentist will be able to tell you what you can consider doing to take even better care of your teeth than you already are. If, for example, they find that it doesn’t look like you’re flossing enough, they can let you know that you need to do a better job with that.
Recent surveys have shown that a large percentage of Canadians either only floss about once a week or don’t floss at all. If you fall into either of these categories, your dentist will likely let you know about it and encourage you to make a stronger effort to floss.
3. Do I Have Any Potential Problem Areas in My Mouth?
As long as your dentist doesn’t find any cavities or other major issues with your teeth or gums, you might think that you’re in the clear. But there could potentially be some problem areas that you and your dentist will want to keep an eye on as you move forward.
For instance, there could be some signs that you might be on the verge of developing cavities in some of your teeth. There might also be signs that you could be developing gum disease or other oral health issues.
It’ll be good for you to know about these potential problem areas so that you can stop them from spiraling out of control. Don’t be afraid to ask your dentist if there are any issues you should be aware of when it comes to your dental health.
4. Why Am I Experiencing Pain in My Teeth and/or Gums?
More than 80% of Canadians report having good or excellent oral health. If you’re among this group of people, you shouldn’t have any pain going on in your mouth.
But if you do happen to have pain in your teeth or gums, this is something you’ll want to address with your dentist. You should fill them in on where you’re experiencing pain and let them get to the bottom of it.
In some cases, the source of your pain will be obvious. You might have, say, a cyst growing in your mouth that is causing trouble.
But in other instances, the pain that you feel might be caused by an issue that isn’t obvious. Your dentist will have to try to provide you with an answer by digging a little deeper to discover what’s causing your pain.
5. Should I Consider Having My Wisdom Teeth Removed?
All Canadians won’t need to have their wisdom teeth removed. But there are many people who would benefit from wisdom teeth extraction.
Your dentist is going to take X-rays of your teeth about once every year, and after doing this, they’ll be able to tell you whether or not you should think about removing your wisdom teeth. But you should also be proactive about this and inquire about the condition of your wisdom teeth. It’ll make it possible for you to plan ahead if you do, in fact, need to have them removed at some point.
6. How Can I Make My Teeth Whiter?
Many people love the idea of trying to make their teeth whiter. But they aren’t always sure how to get the results they’re looking for.
There are so many teeth-whitening products on the market today. It can make it difficult to decide which ones you should go with to get the intended results.
Your dentist can point you in the right direction and talk to you about how to get your whiter. They can also tell you which products you should avoid at all costs so that you don’t do any damage to your teeth by trying to whiten them.
7. Can You Recommend a Good Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Mouthwash?
To keep your oral health in good shape, you will need to use the proper toothbrush, toothpaste, and even mouthwash every day. If you don’t, you’re going to have to fight an uphill battle to maintain your dental health.
Your dentist will be able to tell you which toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash will work the best for you. They might even be able to provide you with some samples so that you can test different products out.
8. Which Foods and/or Beverages Should I Avoid to Maintain My Dental Health?
Every single thing that you eat and/or drink on a daily basis can take a toll on your teeth and your oral health as a whole. It’s why you should be mindful of what you’re putting into your mouth.
You might want to ask your dentist to talk to you about some things that you should avoid eating and/or drinking to prevent damaging your teeth and gums. They should be able to suggest some items that you should stay away from.
Ask Us These Questions During Your Next Dentist Appointment
Do you want to make sure you’re getting the right answers to all your important questions when you visit your dentist? Then you should do more than just Google “dentist near me” and pick the first option you can find when you need to make a dentist appointment.
Instead, you should rely on us to provide you with the best possible dental care. We can set you up with the dental services you need and answer any questions you might have during every dentist appointment you make.