Regular visits to the dentist are essential to maintaining your oral health. These checkups and cleanings are the best way to prevent dental issues and disease.
But do you know how often you should see your dentist? This can vary person-to-person! A number of factors, including age and medical condition, will impact the frequency of your visits.
While your dentist is the best person to answer this question, we’ve written this guide to help you learn more about when and why you should see a dentist!
When should children, adults and seniors see a dentist?
In general, you should visit the dentist every 6 months for a dental exam and cleaning. That said, this timeframe can vary depending on your age, genetic predisposition and existing oral health problems.
How often should your child see a dentist?
A child’s teeth and jawbone structure are changing constantly. To make sure your child’s teeth are developing properly, dentists recommend that all children should visit the dentist twice a year on average.
Your dentist uses these visits to determine if your child’s teeth are developing healthily and to check for issues like teeth grinding, malocclusion (crooked teeth), orthodontic problems and cavities.
How often should adults see a dentist?
Dentists recommend that adults should visit the dentist at least once a year to maintain good oral hygiene.
But every person is different. Your dentist will look at your specific teeth, genetic history or existing oral issues to determine how frequently you should go to the dentist. They may recommend a checkup every 3, 6 or 12 months.
How often should seniors see a dentist?
Your oral health changes as you get older. This means that there may come a time when you need to start visiting the dentist more regularly.
Seniors should ideally see their dentist every 3 to 6 months. The dentist will use these visits to fully examine your mouth and make sure that your teeth are strong, your crowns and dental implants are doing well and that your gums are healthy.
Once again, your dentist is the only person who can tell you exactly how often you should be scheduling visits.
Why is it important to go to the dentist?
There are many reasons to go to the dentist on a regular basis. To keep your teeth in tip-top shape, your dentist may offer services like cleanings, teeth whitening, and the treatment of oral issues and disease.
To remove plaque and tartar
During the checkup, your dentist will remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth.
The idea is to remove all traces of food that you missed in your day-to-day teeth brushing. When plaque builds up for too long, it will harden into tartar, which can lead to oral diseases.
It’s therefore recommended to make an appointment with your dentist for a professional cleaning as often as possible.
To prevent cavities
Your dentist will also check your teeth for cavities during each visit.
You may still have a cavity even if your teeth feel fine and there isn’t a visible hole because cavities can also form inside your tooth. If this is the case, your dentist will use the appropriate cavity treatment to address it.
To detect oral diseases
Your dentist will also look for any problems that could compromise your oral health. Impacted or semi-impacted wisdom teeth are a common issue.
If left untreated, your wisdom teeth could cause tissue inflammation, abscesses and cysts and crowd and infect your surrounding teeth.
The more often you visit your dentist, the better able they are to identify and treat any oral diseases.
Ask Clinique Dentaire 1935 how often you should see a dentist
We hope that this article has helped you better understand just how important regular dental checkups are to your oral health. If you go too long between visits, you may find yourself dealing with oral health issues or even a dental emergency.
Still unsure about how often you should visit the dentist? Schedule an appointment with your dentist ASAP! They’ll be happy to provide you with expert dental care and advice.