Few people would say that going to the dentist is something they look forward to. Most of the time, the trip hurts a lot or at least makes people feel bad. You never know exactly what will happen or how much treatment you will need. You don't know how much it will cost, unless you have dental insurance, in which case you don't need to worry about this. In general, though, most people don't like going to the dentist.
We're a lot like kids in a lot of ways. Most childhood fears go away as people get older, but the fear of going to the dentist seems to stick around into adulthood. We are partly to blame for our problems. People often put off going to the dentist for years, only going when they are in a lot of pain. They don't get checkups if they aren't sick, and they put off the inevitable visit for as long as they can.
This means that by the time we finally go to the dentist, which is a long overdue trip, we need so much work done and it costs so much money that we put off going back as long as we can. The whole problem comes from this.
Many of the worst things about going to the dentist could be avoided if you went back regularly for checkups and took care of problems as soon as you noticed them. Dentists tell their patients that they can stop many common problems from ever happening if they catch them early enough. What could turn into expensive and painful surgery can be taken care of easily, and all the trouble can be avoided. But for this to work, they need to see your teeth fairly often so they can catch problems before they happen.
Most dentists will let you schedule your next checkup months ahead of time. This means that when you go in for a checkup, you schedule the next one while you are there. This means that you'll never miss a meeting again. Then, before your appointment, the dentist will send you a reminder so you don't forget to go. How could it be any easier?
Regular checkups can help you avoid expensive and painful surgery, and many dental insurance plans cover checkups as part of the policy. So, get dental insurance and start going to the dentist more often. Don't put off going to the dentist until it's too late, or you'll have a real reason to be afraid of him or her.
