How Often You Should See Your Dentist

About 100 million Americans skip regular dental visits even though routine dental care can be one of the best ways to keep your smile at its best. Regular checkups allow us to spot early symptoms of dental problems and can help prevent worse problems from developing. In many cases, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent many problems and allow for more affordable, conservative treatments.

A general rule of thumb is to visit us about every six months. However, there is no one-size-fits-all schedule. If you have good dental health, good general health and no major risk factors for dental problems, you may only need to visit us twice a year. If you are diabetic or you have a history of decay, you smoke or you have other risk factors that can increase the risk of dental disease, you may need to visit us more frequently. We provide each of our patients with personalized recommendations regarding visit frequency to ensure the best outcomes whenever possible.

You may also need to visit us even if you are not yet due for a regular dental exam. Some issues that may indicate a dental visit is in order include:

• Tooth sensitivity
• Gums that bleed when you brush or floss
• Chronic bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth
• Pregnancy or other hormonal changes
• Difficulty or pain when chewing and swallowing
• A family history of dental problems
• Chronic or systemic health issues
• Dry mouth
• Tobacco use
• Pain in the jaw joint
• A sore or spot that does not heal
• Dissatisfaction with the look or feel of your smile

Call us today to learn more about how a dental checkup can benefit you or to schedule an appointment with our team.

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