Everyone knows that you should visit the dentist twice a year, but it’s not always easy to get around to it. Does everyone need to visit the dentist twice a year?

Evidence shows that a yearly dental examination is beneficial to patient health. Because disease risk varies between individuals, only a dentist can assess how often you should have a dental examination.

If you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, you might be wondering how to prepare for the dentist. Keep reading for tips.

Confirm Your Dental Appointment

The first step on how to prepare for the dentist is to confirm your appointment the day before. The dental office should call you for confirmation. If they fail to call, call them to ensure your appointment is set.

Note the time of your appointment so you don’t show up too early or too late.

Provide Access to Dental Records

If you are wondering what to do before seeing the dentist, getting your dental records is a top priority.

A new dentist should have access to your dental records. You may have to contact your past dental office to get your dental history records transferred over.

List Your Medications and Doses

Another step you need to prepare for a dentist appointment involves providing your dentist with a list of the medications and doses you take.

Your dentist needs to know this information because medications might have adverse effects on your oral health. For example, many medications cause dry mouth and increase your risk for cavities.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

If you are stressed about going to the dentist, getting a good night’s sleep the night before can help ease anxiety and calm your nerves.

Give your brain enough time to rest because a lack of sleep might affect your cognitive ability. Good sleep will put you in a good mood for the next day.

Clean Your Mouth Beforehand

In general, you should brush your teeth before a dentist appointment. However, some dentists might prefer that you don’t clean your mouth before the appointment. The dentist should tell you their preference.

Most dentists like to work with a clean mouth while others prefer to clean your mouth for you.

Ask Questions and Discuss Concerns

Even if you don’t know what to expect during a teeth cleaning, you probably already have questions and concerns. Write them down so you can go over them with the dentist before your appointment.

Having your concerns addressed to ease any fears you might have. This will allow the dentist to focus on specifics of your oral health that you might already have issues with.

Check out http://solanabeachdentistry.com/ to see if their services relate to your oral concerns.

Schedule Your Next Check-up

Before leaving the dental office, schedule your next check-up or cleaning. Ask to be sent a reminder so you don’t forget your next appointment.

A dental office should work with you to ensure you keep going to routine visits.

How to Prepare for the Dentist Explained

Knowing how to prepare for the dentist can help ease anxiety if you haven’t been in a while or are visiting a new dentist for the first time.

Start by confirming your appointment and gathering dental records and medications for your dentist. Before you go in, get a good night’s sleep and clean your mouth.

Ask questions during the visit and schedule your next appointment when you are done.

For more tips like this, check out the other posts on our blog.