How Often Should You Visit the Dentist for a Checkup?

The general rule for how often you should go to the dentist is twice a year or every 6 months. However, there are several factors that can influence this, such as dental history, oral hygiene habits, and risk factors. Your dentist will assess your current oral health and the risk of developing problems when scheduling your next exam. It's important to visit the dentist regularly to maintain good overall health.

A reasonable goal is to visit the dentist at least once a year for an oral health check, although some evidence suggests that people with a low risk of contracting the disease may last up to 18 to 24 months. At the end of each visit, your dentist should suggest a date for your next appointment. It may be sooner than six months or further away, depending on your individual needs. Preventive dentistry focuses on the prevention and early detection of oral health problems to help ensure that they do not develop or progress to a more serious stage that is more difficult to treat.

When you undergo dental treatment, such as a filling, crown or oral surgery, you may need to go back to the dentist to schedule follow-up appointments to make sure your teeth and gums are healing well. Cavities in adults and children are inevitable, but they're easy for a family dentist to treat if prevention doesn't work. People who don't visit the dentist regularly run enormous risks to their oral health, which can lead to other health complications. Going every six months is one of the best ways to make sure you're taking proper care of your oral health.

This usually involves a quick evaluation by your dentist and also gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you have about the recent dental procedure. You can then print the results and share them with your dentist, who can take those scores into account in your clinical exam and help you develop a personalized oral health plan and a schedule of visits to remove the dental product. How often you visit the dentist will depend on your own oral health needs and whether you are prone to tooth decay, gum problems, or oral health problems. All dentists are trained to help patients avoid tooth decay by cleaning their teeth and gums and offering tips on oral care.

In addition, people who have dental insurance tend to visit the dentist more often than those who don't have dental insurance.