With COVID-19 sweeping across the country, normal routines are being disrupted everywhere. If you had a routine dental checkup scheduled recently, there’s a good chance it had to be postponed or canceled. However, it’s crucial that you make sure you don’t neglect your oral health until you can get into the dentist. Dr. Raymond Ribitch, a dentist in Mt. Pleasant, MI, explains what to do if you missed your normal checkup.
Get Your Checkup Rescheduled
The first thing is to make sure you get your routine appointment rescheduled for a later date. Just because this one got canceled doesn’t mean you can ignore this visit to the dentist. We may have already reached out to help you reschedule. If not, call us or use our online scheduling tool. Bi-annual cleanings and exams are extremely important for making sure your smile stays sparkling.
Keep or Establish an Oral Health Routine
The pandemic has completely upended many people’s normal routines. You may be figuring out how to work from home, and/or take care of online learning and activities for your kids. Figuring out all of these things while dealing with the stress of the pandemic can cause things like your oral healthcare routine to fall by the wayside.
Oral health is important for both your smile and the rest of your body. If you haven’t, try to get yourself into a new routine for these strange times. Make sure you’re brushing and flossing at least twice a day if you can’t after every meal. This is necessary to prevent tooth decay and the need for dental fillings, or even tooth extraction. If you need to, set alarms on your phone for brushing during the morning and evening. That can be a reminder for the whole family!
Don’t Hesitate if There’s an Emergency
While we aren’t able to offer routine services at this time, we’re still seeing patients of record for emergency dentistry. If you think you have a dental emergency, call us immediately. Dental emergencies include severe tooth pain, a knocked-out tooth, a chipped or cracked tooth, or a broken dental restoration. These are things that need to be taken care of immediately, so things don’t get worse.
Take Note of Your Diet
Your diet has a big impact on your oral health. One of the best things you can do is to make sure you’re drinking a lot of water. If you drink tap water, there’s a good chance it has fluoride in it. This helps strengthen the enamel on your teeth. Water also helps rinse sugars and food particles away from your teeth. Other drinks are often filled with sugars or have caffeine, which dries out your mouth.
You probably know you should avoid eating too many sugary foods. But there are also foods that can help your oral health. Crunchy fresh fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and apples, require a lot of chewing, which helps boost your saliva production. They’re also fibrous, helping to dislodge any food particles stuck between your teeth.
Your Dentist in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
After the pandemic, we’re ready to get all of our patients the checkups and dental cleanings they missed at Mid Michigan Smiles. Call us or schedule an appointment online for the future. We hope to see you soon!