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Current Patients (202) 659-1227

1712 I Street N.W. Suite 710 Washington, DC 20006

When Can I Return to the Dentist?

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a lot of uncertainty around when things will be back to normal. Many dentists are still only taking care of dental emergencies at this time. Dr. Justin Deckard of DC Precision Dentistry, a dentist in Washington DC, discusses when you can return to our dental office and tips for oral health until that time comes.

dentist in Washington DC

Reschedule an Appointment if it was Missed

Many people may have had their regular dental appointments canceled or postponed if they had them scheduled during this time. If you’re looking for a new appointment, we recommend scheduling for May or June. If the pandemic continues longer, we can contact you to get your appointment rescheduled. Or you can call or use our online scheduling tool to request one further out.

We want to be back in the office as soon as we possibly can to take care of our patients. And we know that you want to get your bi-annual checkup and cleaning done, too, as well as bring up any issues that you may have.

Keep Up an Oral Healthcare Routine

Until you’re able to get in for your checkup, make sure you keep up with your oral healthcare routine at home. We know it can be hard to keep up with the little things like brushing and flossing when your day-to-day routine is upended. But without proper oral healthcare, you risk tooth decay, losing a tooth, or gum disease — particularly if you missed your regular dental cleaning.

If it helps you remember, brush and floss after every meal. You can also always set a reminder or alarm on your phone to remind you in the mornings and evenings to brush. If you have kids or other people in your household who are struggling with the little things during this time, an alarm can help them as well.

Try to Eat a Decent Diet

It can be hard to stick to a healthy, balanced diet at this time. Many people are suffering from anxiety and depression while dealing with this crisis. When this happens, it can be hard to cook healthy meals and not just do things like order pizza for dinner every night. However, a decent diet is important to maintaining a healthy smile.

For starters, try to avoid eating and drinking things with a large amount of sugar. Sugar is one of the most harmful things for your teeth. Bacteria feed off of it and release an acidic byproduct that eats through your tooth enamel.

Be sure to also drink plenty of water. If you drink tap water, there’s a good chance that it’s fortified with fluoride to help strengthen your tooth enamel. It also helps with rinsing away excess sugars and food particles that remain in and around your teeth after a meal.

Your Dentist in Washington, DC

We want things to go back to normal just as much as you do. Call us or schedule an appointment online for the future. We hope we’ll be seeing your smile in our office soon!