Did you know that patient co-operation is a critical factor that maintains dental health? As important as a dental practitioner’s skills and qualifications are, and the high standards in quality care offered at the best dental clinic in Harley Street, there are a number of behaviours that dentists require their patients to observe. We take a look at some of the most critical factors in patient co-operation.
- Take responsibility for your own dental health
Your dental health is ultimately your responsibility. This may seem obvious but dentists often find patients neglecting recommended oral care at home. Looking after your dental health, for the most part, requires you to keep your teeth and gums bacteria free by brushing teeth once in the morning and then again before going to bed. You should floss at least once a day to remove trapped food particles from in between teeth. We also like to advise patients to make healthy tooth friendly choices when it comes to their diets. Another equally important patient responsibility is to ensure you have a dentist check the condition of your teeth and gums regularly and if necessary offer professional deep cleaning and any other dental treatment available at our dental clinic in Harley Street.
- Try not to miss dental appointments
We know it is not always possible to keep dental appointments despite your best intentions. Work schedules change and family emergencies arise that require you to cancel your appointments. We appreciate it if patients cancel their appointments at the earliest opportunity so that another patient can make use of that time slot. We also urge our patients to reschedule their appointments for another day, preferably when calling to cancel or as soon as possible. In this way you will not forget about re-arranging that check-up or ‘scale and polish’.
- Arrive on time
Arrive for appointments a little earlier than the scheduled time (10 to 15 minutes before) this helps in a number of ways. You have plenty of time to fill in any paperwork necessary, especially if you are a new patient. For nervous patients this time can be used to relax before going in to see the dentist.
- Be open and honest
In order to provide you with the best dental care answer our questions honestly even if it means admitting that it has been years between dental check-ups or that you have not been fastidious with cleaning your teeth. We also require you to be upfront about your overall general health and any serious conditions you may have, such as diabetes and heart disease. Withholding information because you don’t want to receive treatment is an unnecessary risk – you may end up having a dental emergency down the line.
- Update contact details and other administrative information
Should you change your phone numbers or physical address, it is important to let us know so that we can update our records. This makes communicating with you easier and you can receive timely reminders in advance of upcoming appointments or any other important information affecting your dental care.
Make the responsible choice when it comes to your dental health. Ensure you receive the best care and treatment options. Our team of dentists at Harley Street Dental Clinic offers a range of dental services from general dentistry to cosmetic dentistry.