Recently a patient came in and explained an exchange he had with their co-workers. The patient remarked that he wanted to brush and floss properly before his visit. One of his co-workers replied that it wasn’t necessary to brush your teeth before visiting your dentist for several reasons.
The co-workers argument was:
Patients may enjoy staff, but they typically don’t enjoy their gums being tugged on to dislodge food from your last meal. We all have more productive and enjoyable things we would rather do than be at a dentist’s office. Brush & floss before you come and you can save a bunch of time.
Forgetting to brush and floss happens to everyone. Perhaps you ate before you arrived and haven’t had a chance to go home. When you arrive at the dental clinic, feel free to explain your situation to them. We will be happy to accommodate you and will even appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Oral hygienists worked very hard to reach their position (training required to become dental hygienist) and to genuinely care for patients’ oral health.
The oral hygienist will then explain to the dentist that the patient does not properly care for their teeth. This makes it almost impossible for your dentist to determine if you’re taking proper care of your teeth.
Next, if a patient doesn’t know how to brush, the oral hygienist will spend more time explaining fundamentals, rather than explaining a more useful oral hygiene regimen.
If you need a filling, and based on your oral hygiene your dentist will choose which type of material to use. This may not be the best choice, but based on a patient’s poor oral hygiene, the patient would be considered a higher risk of cavities.
Dentists are busy individuals. We will remember your case once we see your name on the patient list.
For these reasons, it is necessary to brush your teeth before visiting your dentist. Your dentist or oral hygienist will not embarrass you if you didn’t have time or forgot to brush, but you will be spending more time in their chairs. Which will be more uncomfortable for a patient than your dental staff.
