The general rule of thumb for how often you should go to the dentist is twice a year or every 6 months. However, there are several factors involved in a more realistic response, such as dental history, oral hygiene habits, and risk factors. At the end of your appointment, your dentist should suggest a date for your next visit. It could be before six months and it could be further away.
Your dentist will consider your current oral health and the risk of developing problems when scheduling your next checkup. Regardless of how you feel about your overall oral health, it's important to see a dentist regularly. A reasonable goal is to visit the dentist at least once a year for an oral health checkup, although some evidence suggests that people with a low risk of contracting the disease may last up to 18 to 24 months. Consult your dentist to learn more about how he evaluates your risk of suffering from oral disease and what his recommendations are for your individualized exam and cleaning program.
Scheduling a dentist appointment every six months for a checkup is essential for overall good health. While it's true that most people don't like going to the dentist, those who don't have their regular dental checkups may regret this decision in the future. Those who don't visit the dentist regularly run enormous risks to their oral health, which can lead to other health complications. Although some dentists suggest that a dental checkup once a year is perfectly fine, going every six months is one of the best ways to make sure you're taking proper care of your oral health.
In 2000, three-quarters of the dentists surveyed in New York recommended six monthly checkups, despite the absence of studies looking at whether the frequency of visits made a difference for patients at low risk of tooth decay or gum disease. When your dentist checks for cavities and gives you specific instructions to improve your oral hygiene habits, you're less likely to get cavities. This includes your current oral health status, your individual oral hygiene habits, your general health and medical conditions, as well as your own risk of suffering from oral health problems as assessed by yourself and by the dentist. Cavities in adults and children are inevitable, but they are easy for a family dentist to treat if prevention doesn't work.
A survey conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that children who only visited the dentist when they noticed a problem had more decayed teeth and fillings than children with regular visits. Some studies found no difference between the number of decayed, fillings, or missing teeth between those who went to the dentist frequently and those who didn't, while other studies found fewer fillings in those who went to the dentist frequently. One study found that going to the dentist more than once a year did not change the size of tumors at the time of oral cancer diagnosis, while another found that if people waited more than a year between visits, tumors could be more advanced when they were detected. In addition, people who have dental insurance tend to visit the dentist more often than those without it.
Your excellent oral hygiene habits may leave you wondering if you still need to visit the dentist regularly. Another survey conducted with adults showed that those who had regular dental checkups had far fewer teeth missing than those who went to the dentist just to receive dental treatments. 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. How often you visit the dentist will depend on your own oral health needs and whether you're prone to tooth decay, gum problems, or oral health problems.
Even if your dentist doesn't detect any problems, he or she will likely remind you to continue taking care of your teeth and cleaning them properly, although there is no consensus on the best way to do so...
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