Dental care is important and seeing a dentist at least twice a year is an essential part of the practice. During those times when a patient visits the dental office of their care provider they are considered an esteemed guest of honor. At that time a guests’ dental health is a top priority and the dental team will dedicate all their efforts to ensuring that goal is achieved in the most pleasant manner possible. As a good host, many dentists will simply conduct their work with a smile on their face, but patients should know that good manners are essential to making sure that the working relationship is a healthy one.

Thanks to technology, the abbreviation of language via text messaging and equality of the sexes, etiquette seems to be a dying art. Gentlemen rarely hold doors open for ladies, the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are no longer commonplace and some dental patients are guilty of neglecting common courtesy. While some patients may think that since they are paying for dental care the proper manners can be forfeited, nothing is further from the truth as that can inhibit a dentist from doing the best work possible.

No Garlic Please

Garlic is a culinary seasoning that has been used for thousands of years. The bulb can be eaten (either raw or cooked) and also has medicinal uses. Studies have proven that garlic is rich in antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties and the food has been proven to prevent certain types of cancer. Garlic is also known for contributing to some seriously bad cases of halitosis and odor that can linger about for hours. A good dental care patient should skip eating the food prior to visiting a dental office out of general respect.

After consuming garlic the body will work hard to metabolism the substance and a gas called allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) will be produced as a byproduct. The gas is absorbed into the blood and eventually will make to major organs including the lungs and skin. The gas in the lungs will eventually be expelled as bad breath and when it comes out through the skin, the side effect is a pungent body odor.

While a person carrying the stench may be immune to the scent, anyone else within the vicinity will not be and that includes the dentist or the dental hygienists charged with delivering dental exams and dental treatments. Individuals looking to avoid the potential embarrassment of the situation and want to be the most courteous dental patient possible will skip eating garlic foods prior to their dental care visit. Individuals who must have their garlic and eat it too should at least consider drinking a glass of milk prior to sitting down in the chair as that fat has be shown to neutralize bad breath.

Plan Accordingly

A majority of dental appointments are scheduled well in advance and should not take patients by surprise. Since a dentist will do everything in their power to ensure that they are ready when a patient arrives to the office, in order to be considered a good dental patient, individuals should do the same. That means showing up for appointments on time and being prepared.

If a patient is more than five minutes late for their appointment, a courtesy call to the receptionist to allow the team to accommodate the inconvenience accordingly is a nice thing to do. Make-up wearing individuals should wipe off their lipstick in order to prevent staining the clothes of the dental health team. Additionally, patients are encouraged to know what type of coverage their dental insurance will provide as dentists need to know this information prior to conducting work to ensure that both patient and doctor receive the full benefits of a policy.

Speak Up

Communication is the key to healthy relationships and that is true for the one between dentists and patients. In order to be a good dental patient, individuals need to be able to clearly express their dental concerns to a dentist in order for a provider to properly address the dental problems .

That means if a patient knows that they have dental anxiety, expressing their concerns prior to sitting in a dental chair will allow the dental care team to properly address that issue, help a patient relax or even administer sedation dentistry in order to deliver the necessary dental care. Patients need to clearly articulate any odd oral sensations such as sensitivity, chipping or pain in order to provide a dentist with a road map of their mouths and assist them in properly pinpointing any issues.

Individuals who want to ensure that the relationship with their dentist is a good one, can always feel free to ask the dentist about what other contributions they can bring to the table.