When you feel pain in your teeth and gums, you know you should visit the dentist. But what about when you’re not experiencing dental problems? How often should you go to the dentist then?
Keeping a regular schedule of dental visits can be difficult. You may not have a dentist conveniently located near you. You may feel anxious about going to the dentist, perhaps because of past bad experiences. You may also worry about fitting regular dental care into your budget.
These reasons for avoiding routine dental visits aren’t trivial. But seeing a dentist regularly—pain or no pain, problems or no problems—is critical to your oral health and your overall health.
How Often Should You Go to the Dentist for Checkups?
The short answer to the question “How often should you go to the dentist?” is, for most people, at least once a year, per CDC recommendations.
However, many dentists encourage their patients to visit at least every six months. Why? Because twice-yearly appointments give you and your dentist the best advantage in keeping your teeth clean and healthy.
Plaque—the sticky film caused when bacteria, acid, food particles, and saliva combine—is constantly forming and starts accumulating on teeth in as few as 20 minutes after eating. Within a day or two, unremoved plaque hardens into tartar (also called calculus). Tartar leads to tooth decay and gum disease.
Regular brushing and flossing at home can remove plaque, but not all of it. And only dentists, using a scraper, can remove plaque once it’s hardened into tartar. Routine dental cleanings are an essential line of defense against cavities and gum disease.
Are Regular Dental Visits Good for More Than Deep Cleanings?
Getting your teeth cleaned isn’t the only good reason you should go to the dentist regularly.
- Detect oral health problems before they become serious.
Your dentist can see warning signs you may not spot on your own. For example, you might have a cavity so small it doesn’t need more than renewed attention to brushing and flossing, and maybe some additional, prescription fluoride. But if you hadn’t gotten your routine cleaning, you wouldn’t have known about this decay until it became more painful and serious.
- Screen for oral, head, and neck cancers.
Dentists look for signs of more than tooth decay and gum disease. During your routine dental cleaning, they will screen you for mouth, head, and neck cancers. The sooner your dentist detects signs of oral cancer, the better your chance of receiving effective treatment with positive outcomes.
- Save money long-term with timely dental treatment.
When dentists identify and treat dental problems early, you’re more likely to be spared the physical and financial pain of more complicated and prolonged treatment in the future. Drilling and filling a small cavity, for instance, can cost significantly less than root canal therapy or extracting a tooth that can’t be saved.
Who Should See a Dentist More Often Than Every Six Months?
The twice-a-year dental visit recommendation is a sound rule of thumb, but individual health situations determine how often anyone needs to see a dentist.
Some patients should go to the dentist every three months or more, including patients who:
- Have tooth decay and gum disease, or a history of these conditions.
- Use alcohol and tobacco products on a regular basis.
- Have weakened immune systems.
- Have diabetes or other chronic health conditions.
- Are pregnant.
All these conditions, among others, can put patients at a higher risk of problems. Regular monitoring and treatment can help keep them in the best possible oral health.
Get on a Regular Schedule of Dental Care Today
At Penn Dental Medicine at PHMC on Cedar (PDM at PHMC on Cedar), we’re helping people in West Philadelphia overcome barriers to regular dental care.
Conveniently located in the Philadelphia PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar, we provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive, affordable oral health care.
To get yourself on a schedule of routine dental cleanings, schedule your first appointment online or call us at 855-887-9229.
