Don't Let Dental Health Madness Drive You Away From the Dentist

People are strange about going to the doctor. Even stranger, people are quite irrational about their unwillingness to go to the dentist. Nobody wants to recline in that chair, even though regular visits will help to prevent the very procedures that everybody wants to avoid. It is more than a little self-defeating to avoid the key to good oral health because one does not want to face the ultimate, negative results of poor dental health. Still, people are people. They will avoid just about anything they don't want to do.

As several t-shirts quip, "I have not yet begun to procrastinate." When it comes to appointments with the medical specialists folks have the option of avoiding, this is funny because it is true. Even those who sign up for an annual reminder tend to leave a certain helpful postcard at the bottom of the mail pile for weeks after it arrives.

After all, no time is convenient for a trip to the dentist. They don't want to go before work because it's not how they'd like to start the day. They don't want to go after work because they've already had a long day. As for spending their lunch break getting their teeth cleaned instead of biting into something tasty, forget it. Besides, they never remember to bring a toothbrush to the office and hate showing up with coffee breath.

Additionally, they cling somewhat desperately to the misperception that brushing twice a day will prevent every kind of tooth decay or gum disease in existence. Some people were well trained for nightly flossing by the sticker that dentists gave out to kids: "You don't have to floss all your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep." Even those, however, cannot be certain of the condition of their teeth and gums without regular checkups.

No matter how well you brush and floss, a dental hygienist does a better job of cleaning your teeth. It isn't just in their job description to be great at this. It is almost exactly their job title. As a professional credential, it easily trumps your mindless daily process even if it's a good one.

You don't have eyes in the back of your head. You also don't have eyes in your mouth. No matter how much you try to tilt to the right angle to see your wisdom teeth in the mirror on your medicine cabinet, you cannot get the view that your dentist gets when he or she examines your hopefully pearly whites.

Be rational. Be sensible. Don't let dental health drive you mad. Make an appointment to see your dentist so you can avoid the more painful version of that visit that you keep dreading. As Benjamin Franklin wrote, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Go for a preventive appointment before a toothache starts to pound.