{"id":512,"date":"2025-08-07T03:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T03:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/?p=512"},"modified":"2025-08-27T04:14:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:14:04","slug":"dental-checkup-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Back From Break: What to Expect When Visiting the Dentist\u2026Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg\" alt=\"male patient visiting the dentist for a checkup\" class=\"wp-image-513\" style=\"width:336px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>There are many reasons why you may let too much time pass between your dental visits. Whether it\u2019s time, money, fear, or countless other explanations, the important thing is to return for preventive care sooner rather than later. When you decide to schedule an appointment, you may wonder what your visit will be like after all this time. Read on to discover what you can expect when meeting your dentist for a regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/general-dentistry.html\">dental checkup<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Lies Beneath: You\u2019ll Likely Need New X-Rays<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s common for patients to have X-rays taken once a year or every other year so that the dentist can compare changes that occur over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it has been years since your last visit, you should expect your dental team to recommend new X-rays. This will help your dentist see what is happening beneath the gumline and provide a more accurate diagnosis should they find something unusual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Be Gone Bacteria: You\u2019ll Likely Need a Thorough Teeth Cleaning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not be surprised if your dentist suggests a more thorough teeth cleaning because of how long it has been since your last one. Plaque and tartar can accumulate quickly, making it more difficult for hygienists to remove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using specialized instruments and technologies, additional time may be required to fully remove hardened calculus from your teeth and gumline \u2013 a process that is worth it in the end. Your dental hygienists will also floss and polish your pearly whites for a remarkable shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Checking for Dental Problems: You\u2019ll Need a Comprehensive Examination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your dentist will not only want to review your X-rays but also perform a comprehensive oral examination during your visit. This will include checking for any signs of tooth decay, gum disease, cavities, oral cancer, bite misalignment, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ll also want to go over your medical history, discuss any medications you are currently taking, and what you hope to accomplish by being more proactive about your oral healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your dentist discovers anything concerning, they will develop a treatment plan and discuss it with you. In addition to their approach to address your decay, damage, infection, or disease, they will also explain the estimated cost so that you can better manage your budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stepping back into a dentist\u2019s office should cause you to be nervous or fear judgment. Instead, your dental team will be happy to see you, and they will be eager to help you take the next step toward better oral and overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Practice<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/about-our-office.html\">Dental Group West<\/a> is committed to providing preventive dentistry to all patients. Believing it is the cornerstone of superior oral healthcare, our team remains eager to help all individuals regain their confidence, no matter how long it has been since their last dental checkup and cleaning. If it has been years since your last appointment, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/contact-us.html\">contact us<\/a> at <strong>(419) 539-2168<\/strong> so that we can prepare a plan to get your smile back on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many reasons why you may let too much time pass between your dental visits. Whether it\u2019s time, money, fear, or countless other explanations, the important thing is to return for preventive care sooner rather than later. When you decide to schedule an appointment, you may wonder what your visit will be like after [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dental Group West Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-07T03:52:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T04:14:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dr_thomas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dr_thomas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-07T03:52:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T04:14:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6fb3b3025ca4ef35d48a7afd91578c72\"},\"description\":\"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Back From Break: What to Expect When Visiting the Dentist\u2026Again\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Group West Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6fb3b3025ca4ef35d48a7afd91578c72\",\"name\":\"dr_thomas\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26f8683b322431ce2fda291119514134?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26f8683b322431ce2fda291119514134?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"dr_thomas\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/author\/dr_thomas\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West","description":"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West","og_description":"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/","og_site_name":"Dental Group West Blog","article_published_time":"2025-08-07T03:52:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-27T04:14:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"dr_thomas","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dr_thomas","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/","name":"Dental Checkup | What to Expect | Dental Group West","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-07T03:52:44+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T04:14:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6fb3b3025ca4ef35d48a7afd91578c72"},"description":"Has it been a while since your last dental checkup? Learn what you can expect the next time you sit down in the treatment chair.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AdobeStock_471520609__1756218048_48804.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/dental-checkup-what-to-expect\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Back From Break: What to Expect When Visiting the Dentist\u2026Again"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/","name":"Dental Group West Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6fb3b3025ca4ef35d48a7afd91578c72","name":"dr_thomas","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26f8683b322431ce2fda291119514134?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26f8683b322431ce2fda291119514134?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"dr_thomas"},"url":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/author\/dr_thomas\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":514,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512\/revisions\/514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dentalgroupwest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}