March 19, 2018

March Monthly Misconception – Divorce and Your Dentist

March Monthly Misconception – Divorce and Your Dentist

If you are considering divorce or divorcing you’ve got alot on your mind and there are many demands on your time.  It may be easy to cancel your routine cleaning appointment or skip your evening flossing  after an exhausting day in court or marathon meeting with your lawyer.  But this isn’t the time to ignore your health, including your dental and oral health.  To the contrary, divorcing people have unique reasons to meet your dentist for a cleaning or  even a wellness visit immediately before or after the start of the divorce process.  Here are a few:

1.   Gum and dental health is at heightened risk for all of us during stressful times in our lives.  And divorce is of course one of life’s most stressful times.  Your  dentist or dental hygienist can give you a thorough and medically precise explanation for this heightened risk.  But the bottom line is that stress, as well as lack of attention to otherwise normal mouth care routine, like brushing and flossing, can turn your mouth into a breeding ground for a host of bacteria that will attack gums and teeth.

2.   Changes in the availability, quality and cost of dental insurance as a result of divorce are common.  It is financially prudent to have some idea of your anticipated short and long term oral health needs so that you can make more informed divorce insurance decisions.

3.    Certain dental or periodontal procedures and treatment can be expensive and time consuming.   Especially if you haven’t been to the dentist for a few years, you may be unaware of serious dental and medical conditions affecting your teeth and gums.   The more reliable information you have about your future needs, the more you will be able to effectively address these needs in your divorce plans and negotiations.

A sincere “thank you” to Tracey at Martha V. Smyth, DMD Family Dentistry for her help with this blog post.

 

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