dental cleaning

5 Ways to Prepare for a Dental Check-Up

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Even though you do your best to take good care of your teeth by brushing twice per day and flossing daily, visiting your dentist is also an essential part of any effective oral care routine. Typically a recommendation is to schedule visits with a dentist every six months to maintain optimal oral health. While there’s not much you have to do to prepare for this office visit, there are a few things you can do to have a more effective and more pleasant experience. Verify Your Appointment It has probably taken you time to choose a dental care facility from among numerous options in your area such as the dentists in Westerville Ohio, so you will want to maintain a good relationship with your dentist. You can achieve a good relationship by making sure you make your appointments for treatment … Read more

Listen to Music Before Dental Cleaning to Reduce Anxiety

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An interesting article titled “Effects of Music Listening on Pre-treatment Anxiety and Stress Levels in a Dental Hygiene Recall Population” written by Thoma et al. appears in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 498-505). The article discusses how waiting for a medical procedure can provoke anxiety in patients and lead to stress. In the article the authors perform a study to explore if patients waiting for a dental cleaning can have their anxiety reduced by listening to music. The authors were motivated to perform their study because previous studies have shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety and stress. Other studies in hospital patients has also shown that listening to music prior to surgery reduces anxiety and can do so just as effectively if not better than pharmacological options like benzodiazepines. Furthermore, these prior … Read more

Metlife Dental and Dentist Cleaning

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So recently I have stated in a previous post on this blog, I have finished up graduate school and now moved to a new area with a new job. My employer offers dental insurance. The dental plan turned out to be Metlife. On their website they allow you to select your type of plan either PPO or HMO (I have PPO) and you also enter in your zip code. Now I found a dentist listed as one of their preferred providers and one of my friends in the area recently went to him so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately I didn’t find out the specifics of how much the new dentist would charge for a cleaning and exam which turned out to be $286.00. Metlife sent me a statement in the mail saying they would cover $97 … Read more