Cleanings, Exams and Getting Back on a Schedule

The routine visit is a cleaning, an exam and usually x-rays, and it exists to catch things before they announce themselves. Decay under a filling, a cracked cusp, gum tissue that has started pulling away — none of that hurts at the stage where it is easiest to deal with, which is exactly the problem with waiting for pain as a signal.

If it has been a long time, tell whoever books you. A first visit after several years away is a different appointment than a six-month recall, and offices schedule it differently. It is also worth saying plainly that dental offices see long gaps constantly. Nobody in that building is surprised by yours.

What this usually involves

• Routine cleaning and exam
• X-rays as the dentist judges necessary
• First visit after a long gap, scheduled with time for it
• A dentist who explains what is being seen and why
• Ask any office how they handle patients who are anxious

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