Don't Let These Misconceptions Keep You From Visiting the Dentist
Posted on: 16 November 2017
Visiting the dentist is probably no one's favourite way to spend an afternoon, but of course it's necessary in order to keep your mouth and teeth healthy. While visiting a dentist may not be very pleasant, there are some common misconceptions about dental visits that might make a person even more hesitant to keep their appointments. Note a few of those misconceptions here, so you're sure to visit your dentist when needed and as often as needed for good oral health.
The pain
A dental treatment may be uncomfortable, but rarely are today's treatments as painful as they were many years ago. One reason for this is that dentists use lasers rather than scalpels for treatments; this can mean smaller incisions for surgical treatments, so that a dentist may not even need to give you a shot to numb the mouth, but may be able to use a topical ointment. In turn, you'll feel less pain and discomfort during your dental visit, and may take far less time to heal after the procedure is finished.
The time for treatments
Along with dreading the discomfort of a dental treatment, you may not have hours to spend in the dental chair. However, the use of lasers can make many treatments much faster than ever before; the laser can easily cut and shape a tooth as needed, so that it can hold a filling, or be shaved down so it can hold a cemented dental bridge. Computerized imaging can also make it much faster to take an impression of your teeth, so that a crown can quickly be fitted. Whatever your need for a treatment or surgery, don't assume you need to set aside a full day or will need to make several appointments, as you may be surprised at how much faster such procedures are performed by dentists today.
What the dentist can do for you
You might assume that a dentist can do very little for your severely cracked or damaged teeth, or very crooked teeth, other than installing uncomfortable braces or outright extracting those teeth and fitting you for dentures. This isn't always the case, as there are many options available for straightening and repairing teeth that even your family dentist may offer. Bonding agents or caps can be used to cover cracked teeth, and veneers can cover crooked teeth so that they support each other properly and look better as well. These procedures are usually very affordable and easily available, no matter the condition of your teeth.
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