The typical rule is that you should visit your dentist once every six months. It?s a rule that has been around for a very long time, way before I even became a dentist. But, I still get asked a lot about whether or not you should visit your dentist more frequently than that. Let’s get into some details about this question. ?Hopefully they help clear up any confusion you may have.
This Rule Doesn?t Apply to Everyone
The first thing that we should address is that no one rule applies to everyone. For one person, visiting his/her dentist every six months is all that he/she will need, and for another, a visit to the dentist may be needed more frequently based on prior treatments and other factors. This is an important question to ask your dentist at your next visit to make sure that being seen as often as you need in order to keep your mouth healthy.
What Other Factors Should Be Considered
When deciding if you should be visiting your dentist more than every six months you have to consider what other factors are taking a toll on your oral health. For example, if you?re a smoker, diabetic, have gum disease or any other condition that is known to affect your oral health you should definitely be visiting your dentist a lot more often than every six months. Smokers tend to have damage to their bone structure and gum tissue, and diabetics have problems with tissue healing and gum disease. ?Of course, there are many conditions which would require you to see your dentist more regularly, however, these were just a few examples. ?Certain conditions should be monitored more closely. ??
Sometimes It?s Only Temporary
If you?re going through a treatment with your dentist and it?s something that will happen over a period of time, you?ll find yourself needing to visit more frequently. Treatments, such as dental implants, are usually done over a series of months and will require that you go more often. However, once the treatment is over you may not need to visit your dentist quite as often.
So, to answer the question of whether or not you should be visiting your dentist more often than once every six months is that it depends. It depends on all kinds of factors, some of which we discussed in this blog. ?It can also depend on how well you are taking care of your teeth outside of the dental office (DO YOUR HOMEWORK PLEASE!!! AKA BRUSH AND FLOSS DAILY). But, the best way to know how often you should be seeing is to ask your dentist. They know more about what you?re going through and can help you come to a decision that?s best for you and your needs.
