Things You Should Ask at Your Dental Appointment
Dr. Priscilla Leary is a dentist practicing in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Leary specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases and conditions associated with the mouth and overall dental health. Dentists are trained to carry out such treatment as professional cleaning, restorative, prosthodontic, and endodontic... more
Going to the dentist is one of the most feared things to do. People often don’t understand what their doctor is recommending and why. If this describes you, you are not alone. You should feel comfortable with your health care provider and you should ask questions about things you do not understand. One of the first things done at your dental appointment when you are getting established as a new patient is a comprehensive exam. This includes a complete series of x-rays and an examination, which is a charting of the measurements of the pockets of your gums.
Often you will hear either the dentist or the hygienist calling out numbers and you are not sure what they mean. This is your opportunity to ask, “What do these numbers mean?” and then a good follow-up question would be, “What do my numbers mean?” or “Are my numbers good or bad?”. These numbers tell us about the health of your gums. Lower numbers indicate healthy gums. Higher numbers indicate gum disease. Asking about these numbers is a good conversation starter about your gum health. After the dentist reviews the x-rays, he or she will recommend treatment. Any treatment recommended should be understood by the patient as to why this treatment is being recommended. For example, if your dentist recommends a filling on a tooth that doesn’t hurt, it's okay to ask, “Which tooth has a cavity?”.
I like to show my patients the x-ray to show the cavity or I will use an intraoral camera to snap a picture of a tooth to show the patient a cracked tooth or cavity. Many times, cavities don’t hurt until they become bigger. Your dentist may ask you about your eating habits to determine the etiology of the cavities, especially if there is more than one. You can also ask, “Is there anything I can do to prevent cavities in the future?”. This shows that you want to make changes to keep your teeth healthy and your dentist will be more than happy to come up with a strategy to help prevent new cavities in the future.
If there is another treatment recommendation and you don’t know what the treatment is, it's okay to ask your dentist about the treatment. I’ve had people ask me, “What is a root canal?” or “What is a crown?”. If a tooth is unrestorable, it is also okay to ask about your options so that you can make an informed decision. If you are still not sure which treatment to choose, you can ask your dentist what he or she thinks is the best or most predictable treatment.
Priscilla Leary, DDS
