Fitting The Dentist Appointment In Your Busy Schedule

The world can be a hectic place. You have business to take care of, family and friends to spend time with, and your favorite activities to enjoy. Yet, you know you need to take care of your oral health by seeing your dentist regularly. What is more, you might need special dental services like fillings, braces or teeth whitening. Here are some tips to help you fit dentist appointments into your busy days.

Choose a Well-Organized Dental Office

You can follow the best scheduling practices in the world, but it can never make up for a dental office that is unorganized or off-schedule every time you go in. To avoid this problem, you need to choose your dentist wisely. Go into the office before you schedule your first visit to see if everything seems to be running smoothly. Notice whether people are checked in immediately. If someone is checked in as you are making your first appointment, you might find out how long it takes them to be called back to the dentist’s office. Paying attention to these seemingly small details can have a huge impact on your schedule later on.

Make the Appointment at a Convenient Time

Unless you have an urgent dental situation, you should have some control over when to have the appointment. The office staff should give you some options for different days and times. Look at your schedule and choose a day with as few other commitments as possible.

If you work during the day, you can either make an evening or weekend appointment, or you can choose a time when you are coming or going from work. For example, you might have a routine checkup at the start of your day or a root canal at the end of the day. That way, you don’t have to leave the office for your dental appointment and then return to work when it is over.

Combine Errands

Suppose your dentist appointment is on a day when you are busy with many responsibilities and chores to do. Your time is more flexible than if you were at work, but you still do not seem to have enough of it. One way you can fit a dentist appointment into a day like that is to do several chores while you are out. Choose errands that take you near the dentist’s office before your appointment. You can shop, pick up dry cleaning or drive the kids to after-school activities and then drive to the dental office without making a special trip.

Take Care of Your Teeth Now to Avoid Visits Later

The single most important thing you can do to limit your time in the dentist’s office is to take care of your teeth every day. Brush for at least two and a half minutes at least twice a day and rinse between meals. Floss daily as well. Make sure you go in for your routine appointments. Remember that it does not take long to go in for a cleaning, but major dental or gum surgery can take many hours or even most of the day.