How often should you visit the dentist?

You’ve probably heard it said many times – “to keep your teeth healthy, visit your dentist twice a year!”. But what does that really mean?

Is the same schedule really suitable for everyone? And what exactly do the Wickham Terrace Dental team do at your twice-yearly visits? We spoke to our principal dentist Dr Andrew Teakle to find out more about the ideal schedule for visiting the dentist and hygienist.

Should you always visit the dentist every six months?

The oft-quoted schedule of visiting your dentist twice a year applies to the “average patient”. We’re talking about a middle-aged non-smoker with generally good overall health, who eats a balanced diet, and brushes their teeth using a good technique twice a day. This also applies to most children with a healthy diet.

Dr Teakle says, “For most people, over about six months your mouth will build up so much tartar and plaque that you’ll need to have it professionally removed by our dental hygienist. By doing this, you can help prevent gum disease and decayed teeth.”

While six-monthly dental visits is a good rule of thumb, some people should visit the dentist more often than twice a year, while dentists may advise other people that they need less frequent appointments.

Do you need to visit the dentist more often?

Occasionally, we’ll suggest to a patient that they only need to visit Wickham Terrace Dental every twelve months. This is usually when the patient is a young, healthy adult with excellent oral hygiene, and a good, balanced diet.

What’s more common though, is for us to suggest that patients visit us three to four times a year, to maintain and improve their gum health. With more regular contact, our team can keep a close eye on any existing dental conditions you might have, such as a tooth that’s weakened from heavy fillings, or if you have old fillings which will sooner or later need to be replaced.

We may also recommend more regular visits to our friendly Wickham Terrace Dental team in Brisbane if you:

• Have poor oral hygiene, or a poor diet that’s high in sugar
• Are over 50
• Are a smoker
• Have had extensive dental work
• Live with chronic health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes
• Are pregnant or a nursing mother, or
• Have a history of gum disease which has damaged your jawbone.

What happens if you don’t see your dentist regularly?

Going without a visit to the dentist, including a professional clean, for as little as 18 months can start to cause serious problems for your teeth. That’s because without a proper clean, tartar and bacteria will build up on your teeth, causing gum inflammation and, if left untreated, eventual tooth loss.

Our Associate Dentist, Dr Nicholas Yee explains, "The longer you leave it between visiting the hygienist, the harder we have to work to scrape away calculus! That can mean a more difficult visit, or even the need for more than one appointment to get your oral health fully back into the best condition.”

If you notice you have tender gums which bleed when you brush and floss, or persistent bad breath, it could be a sign that your gums are inflamed because of built-up tartar. This can easily occur if your at-home cleaning routine isn’t up to scratch, and you haven’t visited our team for some time.

Book your preventive dental appointment online

These are all great reasons to make sure you visit the friendly Wickham Terrace Dental team in our comfortable Brisbane dental practice every six months.

 To book an appointment with our highly qualified and caring dentists and hygienists, contact us online or call 07 3831 3031 today.