Missing Your Routine Dental Checkup?

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With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the nation, dental offices have been unable to provide regular dental care for patients. Usually, only emergency care is available to limit the spread of the virus. Dr. Datta of Ridgetop Dental Group, a dentist in Northern VA, discusses what you can do at home since you’re missing your routine dental checkup.

Reschedule Your Missed Appointment

Just because you missed your originally scheduled appointment doesn’t mean you should wait a full year between your checkups and cleanings. We want to be fully open as soon as possible to help you. Our office may have already reached out about rescheduling. If not, call us or use our online scheduling tool to get an appointment set for the future.

Keep Up With an Oral Healthcare Routine

Especially since you aren’t having your cleaning on time, making sure you’re keeping a regular oral healthcare routine is important. You’re probably adjusting to various different things at home with your normal day-to-day disrupted. Dealing with job loss or working from home, as well as online learning and keeping children occupied can be a lot. Don’t let oral care fall by the wayside, though.

Make sure you’re brushing and flossing at least twice a day. If it helps you to remember, brushing and flossing after every meal is even better. You can also set an alarm or reminder on your phone to go off in the mornings and evenings so you meet the daily two. If you have others in your household that need to remember, this can help them as well!

Without your brushing and flossing routine, you’re more likely to have trouble with tooth decay or get gum disease. This is especially true if you’re struggling like most of us with eating healthy foods while you’re stuck at home. Snacking is becoming a bit more frequent with all of us lately.

Try to Eat a Balanced Diet

While it can be hard with changing moods, food shortages at stores, and limited store hours, it’s important to try to eat healthily. Your oral health is very connected to your diet. One of the most important things is to avoid consuming too much sugar. Harmful oral bacteria feed off of sugar, releasing an acidic byproduct that erodes the enamel on your teeth. This is what leads to tooth decay and cavities.

Drinking a lot of water can also be very helpful for oral health. Many other drinks are plagued with too much sugar or have caffeine, which dries out your mouth. If you’re drinking tap water, it’s usually fortified with fluoride to help strengthen your tooth enamel. Water helps ensure your mouth stays hydrated and assists in rinsing away any sugars or food particles that are lingering around your teeth.

Your Northern Virginia Dentist

We’re ready to help you with your dental checkups and cleanings after this crisis ends. It’s especially important to get your teeth checked after the stress of the pandemic. Call us or schedule an appointment online for the future. We hope we’ll be seeing you in the office soon!

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