Dental Visit "Don'ts"

So as a dental hygienist, I have come to the conclusion that there are a few things you just don't do when coming to the dentist. Many of them appear to be common sense, but for some reason they seem to happen quite often. My top 5 picks are:

#5- Don't apply fresh lipstick/lip gloss right before you walk into the office. This one happens almost daily and I don't quite understand the thought process behind this. It ends up getting smeared all over--when I take x-rays it smears onto my gloves, and then the x-ray machine, and the x-rays themselves. I put on a fresh pair of gloves, but it once again smears onto them and all around the patients face, my instruments, etc. So do the hygienist, assistant, & Dr. a favor and just wipe it off before you come in.

#4- Don't give kids something to eat right before they come in & not have them brush. Especially if it is one of these items (which I see way too much of):
* Oreo cookies
* Cheetos
* Doritos
* Captain Crunch cereal
We do have toothbrushes that the kids can use to brush before we call them back. All you have to do is ask.

#3- Going along with the previous one--except it's even worse when an adult does this. Don't come in without brushing. I hear people say all the time: "Sorry if you find_____ (various food items). I didn't brush before coming. I just figured you would clean it all out anyway." Even though I do clean your teeth, it would be nice if I could focus on the plaque & tartar that builds up instead of spending half the time removing lettuce, chicken, corn, etc. Once again, it's not difficult to ask us for a toothbrush so you can brush before coming back to the chair.

#2- Don't talk on your cell phones once you are in the office. Just the other day I went to the waiting room and called a patients name. There were several people sitting on the chairs, but none of them stood up. One man was on his phone, so I assumed this was my patient. I stood there for several minutes and finally he hung up and I called his name again. While cleaning his teeth his phone rang several more times & he answered on both calls! In my opinion, this is just plain rude. I wonder what people would think if I answered my cell phone while in the middle of cleaning their teeth?

#1- Don't be LATE! I know there are emergency situations that come up, which I understand can cause a patient to be late. But other than that, you should always be on time to an appointment of any kind. It's common courtesy not only to the Dr & staff, but to the patients who are scheduled after you. So be on time or even early. There are many times that people come early and we are running ahead of schedule. They end up leaving the office earlier than expected. Now what could be better than that?