How Often Should You See The Dentist?
How often should you see the dentist?
Where does the age-old concept of a 6-monthly check up come from? How often should you really see the dentist?
The answer is…who are you and what are your risks?
We find some patients need to be seen by a dentist or specialist less than once a year, others may need to visit every 3 months because of particular conditions they have.
This is why we are not fans of the stock standard ‘6 monthly dental visit.
The frequency of visits that we recommend depends on the unique individual factors of each person. A key aspect of this is determining the purpose of the visit. For most patients, the priority will schedule check ups to allow for potential issues to be caught while they are in the early stages. This can allow for the correction of lifestyle or hygiene habits and can lessen the likelihood of requiring more complicated intervention down the track (1).
How do I find out how often to see the dentist?
A common suggestion is for people to visit the dentist every 6 to 12 months. However, there is no one size fits all approach (1).
The reason that individuals make a regular visit to the dentist in the first place is most commonly to stop a problem from happening, or to catch something before it worsens. So, the question is, how long does it take for a problem to get from bad to worse? Of course, the answer may be different depending on what the key problems are that we may be susceptible to and what additional factors such as genetics, anatomy, hygiene, diet, and lifestyle are influential.
The Ethical Dental approach
Personalised medicine is all about looking at you as an individual. It is important to take into account your specific risks and preferences before assigning a medical solution.
For example, let’s look at sunburn prevention. For a person with olive skin, walking out in the sun for half an hour may not be a worry at all, they are at low risk of being sunburnt. However, an individual with fair skin is at medium to high risk of sunburn and may consider taking precautionary steps when going in the sun such as wearing a hat. For those at an even higher risk of being sunburnt such as children, you may consider covering them up completely from the sun.
The same method applies to dentistry, your required visits to the dentist will depend on your individual risk factors.
Your risk will impact how often you should visit the dentist
For each patient, we look at everyone’s unique situation and consider what their risks are before designing a solution. Some patients will be at a much higher risk than others, and if this is the case, we will recommend seeing them more often than someone at a lower risk.
Examples of High Risk Patients:
Immunocompromised (e.g. may have gone through radiotherapy)
Issues brushing their teeth
Pregnant women
People who smoke
In this case: we may require to see you every 3 months or sooner as you are at risk of a minor problem turning into a severe one very quickly(2).
Examples of Medium Risk Patients:
Dietary risks such as increased snacking
Difficulty cleaning
Active diseases such as diabetes
Recent active dental disease
In this category: you are at a lower risk but still have problems that need to be monitored. So, you may be required to visit the dentist every 6 months.
Examples of Low Risk Patients:
Great dental hygiene
Low risk diet
No history of prior dental disease
These patients are at a low risk of having frequent dental issues and fewer preventative measures need to be taken. A visit to the dentist may less frequently such as yearly.
Additional visits to the dentist
In addition to your regular check ups, sometimes a visit to the dentist is necessary for other issues. This can be times where you experience sudden pain when chewing, or if you notice some swelling to the face.We recommend more frequent visits for the two categories listed below:
Children
The Australian Dental Association recommends children have their first dental check up by their first birthday (1). After this, it might be suitable for low-risk children to visit their dentist once a year. Higher risk children may need to see the dentist every 3-6 months.
Regular check ups can be important for children to correct any issues around biting, feeding patterns, or habits such as thumb sucking.
It is also important to note that children, especially at a young age, don't always know how to communicate that they are in pain. It may be the case that they have damaged a tooth or are experiencing pain without telling you what is bothering them. In order to identify and prevent the problem, it is important that your child visits the dentist regularly.
Adolescents
In some cases, teenagers will require visits to the dentist every 3-6 months. This is particularly true for teenagers with braces or those who may be exposed to risk factors. These risk factors may include consumption of soft drinks, sugary snacks, alcohol, or smoking (1).
Maintain a regular check up schedule
By maintaining a regular schedule of dental visits, your teeth will have a better chance of being healthy and further dental issues may be prevented.If you believe you're due for your check up, book a consultation with Dr Kate Amos, Dr Sam Rosehill, Dr Theresa Nevell or Dr James Taylor at Ethical Dental on 6652 3185 or book online.
References
(1) https://www.adansw.com.au/About/ADA-NSW-Fact-Sheet-How-Often-You-Should-See-a-Dent.aspx
(2) https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/dental-visits/how-often-should-you-go-to-the-dentist
