While the question of whether you should make a doctor’s appointment is a personal one, there are some tell-tale signs that you should either make a doctor’s appointment in general or that you should schedule an appointment with a specific provider. Although you know your body and your medical needs best, it can still be helpful to seek general advice about what warrants making an appointment with a doctor. If you’re not sure if you should make a doctor’s appointment, you may want to consult with a medical professional and ask for their opinion.
Choose Doctors You Trust
According to the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine, roughly 44,000 and 98,000 Americans’ lives end annually due to medical errors that could have been preventable. While that can be a sobering statistic to consider, it’s worth thinking about how much you trust the doctors in your life to treat you competently. If you don’t trust your medical team, you may hesitate to schedule an appointment with them because you don’t want to become a statistic like that.
There are several reasons why you might find one doctor worth trusting with your health over another. Firstly, if you have a complex medical issue, it can help you build rapport with a doctor if they have a track record of properly treating patients who present with that condition or similar conditions. Secondly, you might trust a doctor if you relate to them on a cultural or personal level in some way since you’ll know that they’ll understand you better and treat you with compassion. Finally, you might trust a doctor because you’ve worked with them for years or because your current physician referred you. This can all make you less hesitant to schedule an appointment with that provider when you need to do it.
Get the Help You Need
While it can be tempting to put off getting the healthcare you need, you shouldn’t delay if you notice an issue with any part of your body. You might have an issue that is far more common than what you initially believe if you schedule an appointment with a provider. For example, if your mandibular incisors are not properly aligned, you should schedule an appointment with a dentist. According to the National Library of Medicine, roughly 35% of humans who have reached the age of majority possess mandibular incisors that are well-aligned, so you’re not alone if you fall outside of that small group of people.
Advocate for Your Goals
Some people might not want to schedule a doctor or dental appointment because they worry that they’ll be seen as weird or unusual for doing so. As an example, some adults who need to see an orthodontist feel shame or embarrassment about it. Out of every three orthodontic patients, one statistically tends to be an adult, so it’s not uncommon for adults to need that kind of care.
Before you write your health goals off as odd, you should call the medical professional that you want to see and ask if they would help you as an adult. Even if one provider doesn’t see the need for you to have an appointment with them, another provider may want to schedule an appointment with you if they suspect that the first provider was wrong. One of the best ways of saving money in medical care is to treat issues before they get worse. Although it can be stressful to book an appointment with a medical professional, it can lower future medical bills by ensuring that you catch problems early when they’re presumably easier and less expensive to treat.
If you’re wondering if you should schedule a doctor’s appointment, it doesn’t hurt to call a doctor’s office and get their opinion. The worst they can say is you should wait. The best they can do is save your life.
