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Show Your Teeth Some Respect

Think about how many times per day you rely on your teeth. You use them to chew breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You press your tongue against them to make certain sounds when you speak. There's really no doubt about it — your teeth are important, and they deserve your respect. You can pay them that respect by visiting your dentist for regular cleaning and checkup appointments. You should also call at the first sign of dental pain, tooth discoloration, or other oral health changes. Read more about dentists and dentistry here on this blog, where we dive deep into related topics.

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Show Your Teeth Some Respect

Three Tips To Making Your Next Dental Appointment Comfortable

by April Myers

Many people harbor no phobias or anxiety about going to the dentist but continue to avoid going. This is often simply because going to the dentist isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. Lying still for half an hour or more while your teeth are taken care of can make your mouth and jaw feel uncomfortable and your stress levels rise. So what can you do to minimize this impact and have your most comfortable teeth cleaning ever? Take a look at these three tips.

Lips

One of the things people often overlook before coming into a dental appointment is what condition their lips are in. When your lips are chapped and dry, doing something as minor as smiling can often be uncomfortable. If they're severely chapped, they may even bleed. This problem is amplified when you're in the dentist's chair because you have to keep your mouth open for the entire time they're working.

To help alleviate this issue, start moisturizing your lips a few days before you go to the dentist. If you can exfoliate your lips, that will help even more. Getting rid of old dry skin will increase your comfort and will ensure that you aren't focused on painful lips during your treatment.

Pain Prevention

Another thing you can do is to help alleviate any kind of soreness or pain you might experience in your jaw from holding it open for a long time. You can do this before you ever get to the dentist's chair.

The easiest way to do this is to simply take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen before sitting down for your care. Ibuprofen is ideal because it helps to relieve inflammation, which can cause soreness in your jaw muscles from holding your mouth open for so long.

Of course, there's more you can do than just that. Feel free to let your dentist know if you need to take a moment to relax your jaw. They'll be happy to accommodate you.

Music

Dentists do their best at making small talk to keep you calm and entertained while you're in the dentist's chair, but it's not to everyone's liking. If you find that you start getting stressed out the longer you're in the chair, consider bringing a pair of headphones and some music with you. Listening to music you enjoy can help to make it feel like your treatment is going by quickly, and saves you from trying to make small talk while people are working on your mouth.

For more tips, reach out to a medical professional who provides dentist services. 

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