Why Having a Family Dentist is Essential for the Health of your Loved Ones
A household should do everything in its power to maintain the health and prosperity of all living within it. This means things like having heat, food, and a stress-free environment to flourish. It also means that each family member should have access to quality medical care. Dental care is just one of the many facets of a healthy family.
Choosing to consolidate all of your family’s needs at a single dentist is essential to ensuring the continued oral health of all of your family members. A toothache can be a distraction in school, and it’s important to know ahead of time whether or not you should be saving up for braces. A proper family dentist will become invested in the health of your family, and isn’t just interested in a one-off arrangement where there’s no chance to form a more meaningful relationship between the dentist and the patient. To make sure you’re getting a family dentist and not someone more specialized, make sure their name is something like Golsen Family Dentistry, so there’s no risk of any mix-ups. Having a dedicated dentist for your entire family means you’re covered in case of emergencies, and that they have access to your dental records.
Not fully convinced yet? There’s more:
Preventative Care
A family dentist will have you schedule regular checkups for both you and your other family members at intervals of approximately six months. During these checkups, your dentist will have the opportunity to notice any issues before they become severe, and help you find an appropriate treatment plan that fits your budget. As your dentist learns more about your oral health over time and your habits, a personalized treatment that has the highest chance of positive outcome can be suggested.
No Need for Specialists
A family dentist is experienced with patients of all ages or has other staff on hand that can deal with age-appropriate health considerations. There will be no lapse in treatment while you look for a new dentist as your child gets older, as your current dentist will be able to deal with their needs for their entire lives.
Decreased Anxiety in Children
The dental clinic can be a terrifying place for children. Whether or not this reputation is deserved is up to personal opinion. Family dentists are extremely aware of this fact, and do everything in their power to make their office experience as child-friendly as possible. This typically includes toys in the waiting room, and things like a toy box or candy at the end of their session, to help reinforce that they did an excellent job by coming in to get their teeth cleaned and checked.
Conclusion
Choosing to get a family dentist is essentially choosing to begin a long-term relationship with a health care professional that ideally spans for many years to come. During this time, your dentist will become acquainted with your entire family and be able to monitor their changing oral needs as time goes on. As your family becomes more comfortable with the dentist, they will be able to bring up anything, from minor to major concerns, as well as speak freely without being scared of what might come next.
