The short answer to the question “How often should you go to the dentist? is, for most people, at least once a year, as recommended by the CDC. However, since care is associated with better health and makes people less likely to suffer acute symptoms and receive emergency treatment,6 what is the optimal interval between each care? Six months are customary in Britain, but why not twice a week, once a year or even once every ten years? To decide whether people should be recommended to undergo biannual dental exams, we must analyze the rates of disease progression and the ability of dentists to identify, stop or treat the disease. A review conducted in 1995 examined eight sets of longitudinal data and concluded that 38% of early carious lesions would pass to the dentine of a tooth (the point at which decay is irreversible) within three years, while 46% of lesions that had already reached the inner enamel of a tooth would pass to the dentine within three years. The recommendation for most people is to visit the dentist for an exam and cleaning twice a year. However, most people with a low risk of oral diseases may visit the dentist less often, while others may need to go more often.
Going to the dentist is definitely not the most exciting thing in the world, but getting into the habit of going twice a year will most likely guarantee good oral health. While it may not seem necessary to visit the dentist twice a year, it does give you the opportunity to be aware of any oral health problems and, at the same time, to check that both your teeth and gums look good. It is often said that you have to go to the dentist twice a year. When in doubt, this is a good rule of thumb to follow. But if you want to be sure how often you need a dental checkup, you need to consider your mouth, hygiene, habits and general well-being.
At a minimum, twice a year is a solid foundation. However, if you have risk factors such as gum disease, diabetes, smoking, or a history of frequent tooth decay, professional cleanings every three to four months can significantly improve your long-term oral health. The key is for preventive care to be done often enough to avoid major dental work in the future. If you're not sure, your dentist can help you create a schedule that's right for you.
The researchers said that even two visits a year may not be enough to reduce tooth loss in patients with multiple risk factors. Scott Greenhalgh, DDS, is here to help you maintain your dental health. He has been practicing for more than 30 years and still approaches each case with enthusiasm. You can trust him to manage your oral health with care and compassion, combining decades of experience with the latest technology to maximize your comfort and health.
The sooner your dentist detects signs of oral cancer, the better your chances of receiving effective treatment with positive results. In addition, people who have dental insurance tend to visit the dentist more often than those without it. However, seeing your dentist regularly, with or without pain, with problems or without problems, is critical to your oral health and your overall health. A survey conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that children who only visited the dentist when they noticed a problem had more cavities and fillings than children who had regularly scheduled visits. Not going to the dentist completely could lead to problems such as tooth loss, infections, and even a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
A recent systematic review showed that one of the most effective ways to ensure that this pattern of behavior was maintained was for people to receive simple but individualized advice from dental staff on a regular and repetitive basis. For more detailed information about your actual dental care costs, consult your dentist or Delta Dental. How often you should visit the dentist depends largely on your individual oral health needs, but no matter how often you go, what you do between visits is just as important. A study published in the Journal of Dental Research entitled “Patient Stratification for Preventive Care in Dentistry” sheds some light on why.
Many people neglect dental visits as often as they should, whether due to time restrictions or other personal problems. You can then print the results and share them with your dentist, who can take those scores into account in your clinical exam and help you develop a personalized oral health plan and a schedule of dental visits for the recall. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry analyzed the data to determine how often different people actually need to visit the dentist. Talk to any dentist and they'll quickly tell you that the schedule for biannual dental checkups is more of a guideline than a rule.
Regardless of how you feel about your overall oral health, it's important to visit the dentist regularly. Your dentist may also ask you to come to more visits if you have noticed unusual problems affecting your teeth and gums.