Why January is the Best Time to Get a Checkup

The new year is here, which means that it’s time to start making changes for the better. If you haven’t in a while, you might want to start thinking about how to take care of your oral health in the upcoming year.

One of the best habits you can get into is to make frequent trips to the dentist for checkups and cleanings. As it turns out, early in the year is the best time to make that appointment. Here are a few reasons why.

The Holiday Hangover

Some dentists will tell you that the holidays are the absolute worst time of year for people’s health, and there are a few reasons why they think that. These are the busiest times of year for travel, and people’s dental hygiene starts to slip when they’re on the road.

There are also plenty of foods that are common at the holidays—candy canes, caramel, red wine, starchy sides—that can contribute to tooth decay and to gum disease. If you, like many people, let your oral health slip over the holidays, the new year is a good time to get a routine cleaning to undo some of the damage.

Get the Most Out of Insurance

Dental insurance is a little bit different from the health insurance that you may be used to. One major distinction is that dental insurance has a yearly maximum, i.e., a cap to the amount that they’re willing to pay out over the course of a single year.

Many times, a routine checkup is where you’ll discover an oral health problem. If that problem requires substantial treatment, then the best time to deal with it is early in the year; this makes it easier to hit your deductible and not exceed your yearly maximum for restorative care.

Dry Winter Air

Winter air can reduce the amount of moisture in your mouth, which impedes the mouth’s production of saliva. That saliva ordinarily would break down foods and carry them into the stomach, which means that they’ll spend less time in the mouth feeding bacteria. At a dental cleaning, your dentist can clean up the plaque that may have developed as a result of decreased saliva.

As you can see, January offers quite a few hazards to your oral health, and a checkup is the best time to address those issues.

About Our Practice

At Orange Place Family Dentistry, we understand the importance of oral health, and we know that the best way to provide it to our patients is to create a relaxing and comfortable environment for them. To do that, our dental team will go out of their way to treat you like family and give you the one-on-one attention you deserve.

If you have any questions about dental checkups, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (216) 464-2448.