Everyone knows how important it is to get regular dental checkups. It’s the most reliable way to ensure that your family has healthy teeth and gums. Problems are much easier to deal with in the early stages. Before the dentist can help you, however, you have to actually make an appointment and then keep it. In today’s busy world, this can be more difficult than it seems. It’s easy to procrastinate on making appointments. To help you avoid this problem, here are five tips for making and keeping appointments.
Have Several Appointment Dates in Mind
In an ideal world, you can set an appointment for the exact date and time you prefer. In reality, you may have to be a little flexible about the timing. If you call with only one time in mind and it’s not available, you may end up going back and forth with the office until you can agree upon a time. It’s more efficient to come up with at least three potential times for an appointment before you call. That makes it more likely you’ll end the first call with a definite appointment in place.
Have a System for Reminding Yourself
After you make the appointment and put down your phone, you may think that you’ll remember the time and date. It’s still safer to give yourself a reminder. You can do this the old fashioned way, sticking a post-it
note on the refrigerator. If you prefer high tech solutions, you can use a smartphone app that sends you a reminder on the day of the appointment. Use whatever method works for you, but take some precaution to ensure you remember. Best of all, use multiple methods for extra insurance.
Don’t Wait for an Emergency
Many people don’t schedule a dental visit until there’s an emergency. Since emergencies seldom occur at convenient times, this is not the best time to make an appointment. Naturally, if you or your child has a toothache in the middle of the night, you should arrange a visit to the dentist as soon as possible. It’s much better, however, to call the office before any severe symptoms appear. You can then make the appointment in a relaxed manner at a time that’s convenient for you. This also helps to prevent severe symptoms from occurring. The dentist will identify and treat any problems before they become painful
Ask Someone to Remind You
Tell someone reliable about the appointment and request that he or she remind you the day before. This can be a spouse, friend, employee or anyone you trust. This will make it less likely that you’ll forget and end up with a scheduling conflict. Don’t put too much pressure on the other person. Make it clear that it’s your responsibility to remember your own appointments. You can, however, ask them nicely if they might remind you just in case you forget.
Leave Some Extra Time
Like most people, you’re probably busy and have plenty of activities on your agenda. A visit to the dentist, however, whether it’s for you or someone in your family, should be considered a priority. If you miss an appointment, it can be inconvenient and costly to arrange a new one. Don’t arrange to visit a friend 50 miles away and give yourself an hour to get to the dentist. You might get stuck in a traffic jam. Give yourself a little extra time to ensure that you arrive at the appointment on time.
Valley Dental Care, a full-service dental clinic, offers general and specialized services designed to fit the needs of patients of all ages. We have made a commitment to excellence, and we strive to provide the best dental services in a comfortable environment.