Why it's beneficial to visit the dentist this winter

The holidays are approaching very quickly and with the holidays comes a lot of holiday events and parties. With all of the shopping and decorating, it can be difficult to catch up on everything that you have put off. Before life gets too busy this winter, you should schedule your routine dental appointment. Going to your dentist in winter is beneficial for the following reasons:

• Scheduling : You have a much better chance of getting an appointment when you want one. We all know how incredibly busy dentists, are and most often when you call and have a time or date that you would like to come in, there isn’t an opening. Many people schedule their appointments at the end of summer or in early fall, with the back-to-school rush, so scheduling in winter might offer you a better chance of getting an appointment when you would like one. Spring is another time that dentists become busy, with elementary school kids, middle school kids, high school kids and college kids having their spring break and parents scheduling their appointments during that time. Winter is that perfect in between time!

• Top of mind : Once the weather starts to warm up and springtime approaches, people’s calendars start to fill up quickly and scheduling a visit to the dentist often gets pushed to the back of our minds. It is good to get your routine appointment scheduled during winter, so you do not forget to stay on top of your oral health.

• Keep healthy : It is a way to stay on top of your health and break up the dreariness that can accompany winter. Even though there are so many wonderful things to look forward to in the wintertime, there are often lots of dreary, cold days that can make someone feel a little more down than usual. Having less daylight can affect people, and there has been a study from West Virginia University that links tooth loss with depression. So, if you stay on top of your oral health and visit your dentist, you may have found a unique way to combat the winter blues.

• Illness & oral health : Winter illnesses can cause all different kinds of problems for your dental health. We all know how miserable it is to get a cold or the flu, and often the last thing you are thinking about when you’re sick, is your dental health. Unfortunately, many over-the-counter remedies for illnesses are very high in sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, both of which can be very harmful on your teeth. Other remedies have citric acid, or low pH levels that are partnered with high acidity or alcohol, and these can start to wear down the enamel on your teeth. Parents also need to be careful with giving children medicine right before they go to bed. Children’s medicine is often very high in sugar, so it is important to make sure that your child brushes their teeth before actually falling asleep.

If you are due for a routine cleaning and do not want to have to wait a long time and you want to schedule it while you have some days off of work for the holidays, give your dentist a call to get your appointment in the books.