As soon as you begin to grow your first baby tooth during infancy, you start to visit your dentist on a regular basis. When you reach adulthood, you might wonder if attending these routine dental appointments is really necessary for your oral health.
The answer is yes. Your dentist provides crucial maintenance and diagnostics during these appointments that help you avoid serious dental damage and emergencies. Skipping this dental attention may lead to long-term consequences for the look and feel of your smile.
Knowing more about the importance of these dental visits can encourage you to keep these appointments. But just how often do you need this care from your dentist? Read on to learn more about the level of preventative dental care from these routine visits you should seek to maintain your healthy smile.
What Happens During a Routine Dental Check-Up?
When you attend a routine dental appointment, the dentist will first clean your teeth. Even with diligent at-home oral hygiene, your toothbrush and floss cannot reach all areas of your mouth. Plaque and other residues can remain on your smile and weaken your teeth and gums.
So your dentist can scrape away excess build-up to ensure your smile stays healthy, strong, and beautiful. Then the dentist will perform an oral exam, checking your teeth, gums, jaw, and more for signs of potential dental concerns.
If a dentist can diagnose oral health issues promptly, then they can swiftly offer treatment as well. This gets rid of dental problems before they can cause irreversible damage to your smile.
How Often Should I Schedule Dental Check-Ups?
The average dental patient should schedule a routine dental check-up every six months. This establishes the ideal window where a dentist can get rid of harmful plaque build-up in a timely fashion before it hurts your smile. Similarly, a dentist can find potential dental issues in this period before they can cause serious harm.
However, some dental patients might need to see their dentist on a more frequent basis for this preventative care. Senior-aged patients, people with a higher risk of forming tartar, and those with certain medical problems might need to schedule these check-ups every three or four months. Find the optimal dental care plan for your unique smile by calling your dentist today.
What Do I Do During a Dental Emergency?
Even with diligent preventative efforts, accidents can happen to the best of us. You might sustain a dental injury or notice changes in your oral health in between your regularly scheduled dental appointments. If you suffer a dental emergency, contact your dentist right away.
Do not wait until your next visit to your dentist’s office to inform them of this development in your oral health. Delaying treatment for this issue could lead to further damage to your smile. Your dentist may ask you to come to their office for an emergency appointment to restore your smile.