![\"Three](\"https:\/\/assets.doctorlogic.com\/Images\/Sites\/D\/DE-SanDiego\/Post\/Three-Questions-To-Ask-Your-Dentist-300x300.jpg\")
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Confess: Before you have a dental appointment, you vigorously floss your teeth the night before, even if you haven\u2019t been flossing them regularly. (We hate to break it to you, but the dentist knows about your secret.) Some even brush before the cleaning appointment, determined to make a good impression. The appointment date and time is dutifully marked in the calendar and time is taken off from work. But there\u2019s one thing you\u2019re overlooking: A list of questions to ask your dentist. Don\u2019t see your regular cleaning as just a cleaning.\u00a0Use this as an opportunity to ask your dentist about how you can keep your mouth healthy year round.<\/strong>\u00a0Need help getting started? Following are three questions that are a must.<\/p>\n A healthy mouth is so much more than a great smile.\u00a0Many researchers believe it can have an influence on other areas of your health, such as your heart.<\/strong>\u00a0This is also a good time to review the medications you\u2019re taking with your dentist. Some medicines cause dry mouth, which increases your chances of cavities. Your dentist will be able to recommend specialized mouthwashes or toothpastes to help you. The hygienist should also do a brief check for mouth cancer. If you have concerns about your risk for mouth cancer (particularly if you use tobacco products), please discuss this with your dentist. Remember, your dentist is a wonderful\u2014but often underused\u2014resource of health information.<\/p>\n If you haven’t been for a regular dental check-up in a long while, there’s a good chance there may be a long list of things that need to be done, from filling cavities to root canals. Your dentist will help you prioritize the procedures and give you an idea of how long they might take. This is also a good time to review which procedures will be covered by your insurance. Most dental practices will be able to give you a ballpark estimate of how much something will cost, and the practice\u2019s financial office will work with you to schedule a payment plan if services are not covered by insurance.<\/p>\n While it’s no surprise that sugary snacks wreak havoc on your teeth, did you know that even healthy foods can cause problems? Apples and carrots can crack fragile teeth, and citrus fruits and acidic vegetables wear away enamel. Dentists are quick to point out that the benefits of these healthy foods outweigh the problems they can cause with your teeth. So what should you do?\u00a0Continue to eat healthy foods but be sure to brush and floss after eating them.<\/strong>\u00a0Your cleaning is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge your dental professionals have to offer. If you\u2019d like a list of more questions to ask, you can find them here.<\/p>\n Sources: American Heart Association.\u00a0Dental Health and Heart Health<\/a>. Drummond, Katie.\u00a025 Foods Dentists Won\u2019t Eat<\/a>. Prevention Magazine. Jan. 31, 2013. Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives. Questions to Ask Your Dentist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Confess: Before you have a dental appointment, you vigorously floss your teeth the night before, even if you haven\u2019t been flossing them regularly. (We hate to break it to you, but the dentist knows about your secret.) Some even brush before the cleaning appointment, determined to make a good impression. The appointment date and time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. Is my mouth healthy?<\/h4>\n
2. Could you prioritize any procedures that I need to have done?<\/h4>\n
3. What foods can I avoid to improve my dental health?<\/h4>\n
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