In the modern world, most of us have a lot of different things going on in our lives—we have a career, a significant other, a family, and a lot of other interests. However, it can be hard to manage a busy schedule and a hectic lifestyle, which means some things may be put off or overlooked. One of the most important things that’s often taken for granted is oral health.
Your dental health is just as vital as the other aspects of your wellbeing. It may be occupying a small part of your body system, but it actually plays an essential role in your overall health and quality of life in the present, as well as in the future. Unfortunately, most people go through life without much association with a dentist. For some, brushing your teeth is enough to protect your dental health from diseases. They can only think of visiting a dentist when they’re finally experiencing oral health issues.
Now that you have your own family, you shouldn’t anymore think of yourself. It’s your responsibility as a parent to teach your kids about proper dental hygiene, as well as the importance of seeing a dentist regularly. Thus, having a family dentist for the whole family is one of the best decisions you can make for your children.
Proper dental health and hygiene aren’t reactive—these need to be a lifestyle. After all, taking care of your dental health is a lifetime commitment. That’s why you need to make a plan for your family’s dental health. The best way to start that is by having a family dentist for your family, rather than hopping from one dentist to another.
The family dentist will be part of your dental hygiene habits, and they can ensure all of your family members have healthy and happy smiles. Most importantly, they’ll make sure all of you are free from the risk of having tooth and gum diseases, heart diseases, and even cancer. You can learn more here.
What Is Family Dentistry?
A family dentist is a health practitioner who handles dental health and issues from patients of all ages. From children to adults, they have numerous treatments that are suitable for any age, such as dental cleanings, checkups, examinations, x-rays, fillings, fluoride treatments, and more.
Your family deserves a proper family dentist, whose primary job is to maintain and improve your family’s dental health. While you may first think that a pediatric dentist is more suitable for your kids, the family dentist is also qualified to take excellent care of your children’s oral health. Lifetime partnership with family dentistry is beneficial to your family for the seven reasons below.
- It’s More Convenient
Many people don’t think about having a family dentist. Instead, they visit a dentist only when they have a problem. A family dentist is someone you trust to take care of most of your dental needs. It’s a dentist usually part of a group of family doctors or physicians that offer various services—everything from pediatric to emergency dental services.
Family dentists are trained to offer dental care to patients of any age, as well as any dental condition. That means your family won’t anymore
Family dentists are trained to offer dental care to patients of any age, as well as any dental condition. That means your family won’t anymore have to travel to multiple dental clinics to have their regular dental checkups. It’s way more convenient as you only need to arrange one dental appointment with a Dentist in Narre Warren for the entire family or several members. Moreover, you won’t anymore have to file a leave for work on different days if you want to bring your kids to the dentist, or if you’re going for an appointment for yourself.
Family dentistry is convenient because you can travel to your dentist’s office with your whole family. You need not worry about making separate appointments for each of your children or your spouse. You can bring your entire family to your schedule, and you’ll probably get to see your dentist more often than you would if you were visiting on your own.
As long as you’ve chosen a trusted and professional dentist, all your dental issues, concerns, and dental needs will be addressed properly.
- To Eliminate Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety and dental phobia are both real. They’re serious issues experienced not only by kids, but adults, too. Both dental anxiety and dental phobia can cause a person to delay their dental treatments or even totally avoid them. If one or all family members are experiencing any of the said conditions, it would be a big help if the entire family will do their dental checkups together to ease the fear.
Most often, children develop their dental anxiety at a young age. This can happen if parents unknowingly install fear in their children by scaring them off using the word ‘dentist,’ or, perhaps, you took them to the dentist too late. But, with a family dentist, this can be your first step towards helping them overcome that anxiety and fear.
Once your children see you and the other family members going for dental treatments, cleanings, or regular checkups, it will give them confidence and ease their fear of ‘dentists.’ As they see you looking and feeling comfortable on the dentist’s chair, chances are they’ll mimic your sentiments, actions, and emotions once they’re the ones in the seat. Overall, seeing you visiting the dentist regularly will give them a positive and lasting impression.
After your children and several other family members have overcome their anxiety and fear at a young age, they’ll feel comfortable with dentist interaction for the rest of their lives. They’ll see the essence of going for dental visits regularly as it’s a must towards achieving proper oral health. If the whole anxiety and phobia are over for them, they’ll never miss their dental appointments for a lifetime.
- They’ll Keep Track Of Your Family Dental History
One of the best parts about having a lifetime family dentist is the fact that they have all your family’s dental records and history. When you see a dentist several times, they’ll automatically have records of all your dental health issues, including allergies, diseases, sensitivities, special needs, and other requirements. With all the history they have for your entire family, they can quickly know which treatment is suitable for your needs based on the history information.
A dynamic family dentist will easily notice any new symptom showing on your dental health from your last checkup, and will immediately take action for it. Some dental issues are also genetic and can be passed on to each family member. With a family dentist, it’ll be easier for them to be observant of your children’s dental health and problems.
- Develop A Personal And Lasting Relationship
There’s nothing better than having a personal and lasting relationship with your family dentist. When the trust is there, it’ll be easier for you to communicate all your issues and concerns to your dentist, honestly and openly, without any hesitation. The more honest and accurate you are with your dental problems, the easier it is for your dentist to formulate solutions and accurately diagnose symptoms so you and your family will have the best treatment available.
For children, knowing their dentist personally will help ease their fear and eventually be more comfortable in every dental visit they do. Communication is a lot easier, and they’ll be honest in sharing their side whenever a dentist will ask, “When did you eat your last candy?” or, “When was the last time you felt a tooth pain?” Honest yet straightforward answers to these questions can already help the dentist formulate treatments for your child.
Most importantly, it’s also easier to share your fears with a dentist you and your children trust. Your dentist will then do anything to ease your worries and make the treatment process easier for you.
- Regular And Consistent Services
To ensure you and your family’s dental health is always in top shape, it’s vital that you make routine visits to your family dentist, preferably at least twice or thrice a year, for your dental cleanings. You’ll be easily confident in seeing your dentist anytime; hence, none of you will miss your dental appointments.
When you have the same dentist to go back to every time you need them, you’ll have consistent treatments. Unlike if you hop on a different dentist every time, you’ll have difficulty trying to explain your needs and specifications to every dentist you see, and will end up getting different types of treatments from them. But, with a family dentist, you get to enjoy these regular and consistent services anytime, and you’ll save yourself all the time of explaining and telling them all about your needs.
- Preventative Care
As mentioned earlier, family dentists specialize in all dental fields for people of any age. For children, they need extra and special care since their teeth are still at the development stage, unlike adults. For that reason, your family dentist will help you teach your children some of the essential dental hygiene habits and preventative practices to keep their teeth robust and healthy all the time. In case your child needs teeth alignment, your dentist can put braces or other alignment treatments on your child at a young age, which is much preferable than doing it when they’re already adults.
With regular dental checkups while performing proper oral hygiene habits at home, you and your family can together reduce your risk of developing tooth cavities, gum diseases, and other severe dental issues that may develop in the future.
- Emergency Dental Services
A family dentist is an essential part of your family, especially if you have children. If you’re like most parents, you worry about your children’s dental health. You worry about how you’ll get them to go to the dentist regularly. You worry about whether they’ll be able to get emergency dental care if they get hurt. But what if you could visit the same dentist for all your family’s dental needs?
It’s inevitable that, sometimes, dental emergencies happen. It’d be too inconvenient for you if when an emergency arises, it’ll be the only time you’ll realize that you need a dentist immediately. Not only will it delay your treatment, but it can also worsen the said dental emergency. But, when your family has a family dentist, it’ll be easier for you to run to your dentist for an appointment instead of spending more time driving around and searching for one. You can quickly call your family dentist for an immediate appointment, and they’ll do just that.
An example of a dental emergency is when your child suddenly knocked out a tooth during playtime or while eating something hard. In this case, you’ll need a family dentist that your child trusts and knows personally, and one who can immediately perform the necessary dental treatments your child needs anytime, regardless of the situation.
Wrapping It All Up!
Aside from all the reasons stated above, you and your family will also get updated about your dental health from one family dentist. They can tell you all about the recent dentistry technology made available, the best habits you need for oral care, and the best diet suitable for your oral health. Now that you know the reasons why having a family dentist is important, you can now start searching for a reputable one.
Family dentists are specially trained to take care of the whole family. They’re willing to work with you to develop a dental plan that suits you, your children, and your budget. They’re more than willing to work with you to create a dental plan that will help your children develop good dental care habits. They are also ready to provide emergency dental care. They are available in times of need.
Finding a reliable family dentist is one of the best things you can do to help your family maintain good oral health. It’s vital to take good care of your teeth and gums because good oral health allows for better overall health and well-being.
Having a family dentist indeed makes you more comfortable in getting treatments and since you have known them for quite a while, they can follow your dental records to make sure they don’t miss any new symptoms or alternative treatments. This is especially helpful now that my child is at an age that we will require a lot of dental visits. I hope I can find a professional that I can have a comfortable and reliable relationship with.