How often should I see my dentist?

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Extract from the article: Regular dental appointments are essential if you want to maintain good oral health. How often should I go for a check-up?

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Regular dental appointments are essential if you want to maintain good oral health. How often should I go for a check-up?

A check-up is essential for healthy teeth. You don't have to wait until you have a toothache to go to the dentist. In fact, check-ups can be arranged regardless of any dental problems. First and foremost, they are an opportunity to check that all is well. They are also an opportunity to carry out various dental treatments, if necessary: scaling, cavity treatment, root canal, extraction, treatment of an abscess.

 Going to the dentist: an annual routine?

Visiting the dentist once a year is generally considered to be sufficient. In fact, an annual visit is recommended for children and adolescents, who are at greater risk of developing cavities than adults.

This annual visit is only a recommendation. In reality, the frequency of visits to the dentist will depend on a multitude of other factors: age, risk factors: smoking, diet, alcohol, diabetes, the initial condition of the teeth: brittle enamel, gingivitis.

The importance of regular visits

Normally, it is advisable to see your dentist for a so-called systematic visit every 6 months.However, if you are in good general oral health, an annual visit may be sufficient. Even if you take care of your teeth on a daily basis, that's no reason not to see your dentist regularly.

It's a proven fact that no matter how dexterous or skilled you are, there's always plaque and tartar between your teeth that you can't remove or clean.It is precisely this residue that causes bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease.Thanks to the annual dental check-up, any oral problems, such as cavities, can be detected and treated immediately.  The sooner a cavity is treated, the healthier your teeth will be for many years to come.

Teeth are made to last a lifetime, and in good health until they are over 100 years old, provided we take good care of them. A systematic visit to the dentist every 6 months is all the more necessary if you have dental malposition or, above all, pathologies such as diabetes, heart disease or other pathologies with a risk of infection.

This systematic visit is very important for pregnant women, whose oral environment is fragile because of their condition.This is to avoid tooth loss, which most women consider normal during pregnancy.

The dentist's work

During this check-up, the dentist will check for the presence of tartar or dental plaque. Plaque is a whitish substance made up mainly of bacteria that settles on the teeth.Over time, this plaque turns into tartar.  Tartar can only be removed from teeth by a dentist. This operation is called dental scaling.If not removed, plaque and tartar will turn into acid, which will attack either the tooth enamel or the tooth itself, leading to tooth decay.This acid will also cause inflammation of the gums, leading to gingivitis and periodontal disease, which will have repercussions on the health of the person affected.

Scaling is recommended for everyone at least once a year, if not every 6 months.  For some people who are unable to control their oral hygiene properly, and depending on the appearance of tartar on their teeth, quarterly scaling sessions may be considered.

The routine visit or check-up to the dentist is an important pillar in maintaining good oral health. It ensures that all patients have healthy teeth, healthy gums that don't bleed when brushing or waking up and, above all, good breath.

William O.

Article validated by Dr Georges Tokofai, President of the National Order of Dental Surgeons of Togo (ONCDT)