10 Mar How Often Should I Visit My Dentist?
You might think that just flossing and brushing twice a day or after every meal is enough to guarantee you a lasting smile. And for this reason, scheduling a routine preventative visit to your local dentist is not among the list of your priorities since you have no immediate reason to suspect that your gums and teeth are not in excellent health. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Plaque and Tartar will Still Build and Cake up Over Time
No matter how careful and thorough you are in the morning while brushing your teeth, it is almost impossible to stop the gradual deposition of tartar which later hardens up into tartar if left unchecked. And as you may probably know, it eventually leads to gum disease and cavities in the long run.
The good thing, nonetheless, is that you can stop this in its tracks by making it a habit of visiting your dentist often. During these appointments, your dentist will use a small hand-held convex mirror to inspect the back surfaces of your teeth, especially those at the back of your mouth. The mirrors will also reflect light shone on them, thereby allowing your dentist a chance to gauge how much tartar is deposited there and the best way of scrubbing your enamels clean.
Using a pair of scalers, they will then proceed to scrape off the calculus and tartar deposits from all surfaces of your teeth, effectively stopping the progression into full-blown gum disease. Remember that the scalers typically have two ends; a blunt one used to clean just below the gum line without inflicting any damage and a sharp one used on the upper surfaces of the teeth.
After this, a set of polishers is then used to smooth the teeth which prevents plaque from sticking to it while making your teeth as shiny and white as possible. Most of the time, a relatively abrasive polish is used for these purposes.
Oral Exams & Cleanings are Critical Keys to Identifying and Preventing Common Mouth Diseases
In addition to scraping off tartar and gunk deposits from your teeth to have them squeaky clean, your hygienist or dentist will typically use the session to conduct a thorough oral exam. This may involve both visual and X-ray examination to evaluate whether you are at risk of developing any serious oral problems. You see, there are a number of problems your hygienist and dentist ought to be able to easily identify which you or an untrained eye may not be in a position to. These include gingivitis, cavities, and even complicated oral abnormalities such as cysts and tumors.
So how Often Should You Visit a Dentist?
Generally speaking, it is advisable to visit the office at least twice a year or once every six months or so. The idea here is based on the fact that almost all expensive-to-treat dental problems are very easy to deal with when caught early enough.
References: Colgate, Bupadental, Academy Dental Group