We’ve all missed dental appointments, but there are those who haven’t been for a check-up in years. These persons are risking serious dental issues. Identifying tooth decay and gum disease early can make the difference between saving a tooth or removing it, resulting in expensive and complicated surgery to fix your smile. So, how much time should pass before you visit the dentist?
Dental Appointment Frequency for Children
Make an appointment with your dentist when baby’s first tooth breaks through the gums. If teeth are not apparent after your child is 1-year old, then you should see the dentist anyway for an evaluation. Thereafter, it is recommended that the child has regularly scheduled appointments with the dentist every 6 months.
Dental Appointment Frequency for Adults
The risks of tooth decay and gum disease factor into how often a dentist will want an adult to come in for appointments. Again, the standard schedule in order to recognize an issue before it becomes a real problem is twice a year but check with your dentist and your dental insurance. Many insurers will limit benefits if you are not following a regular schedule of 6-month visits.
Frequency Factors
Depending on the factors below, your dentist may want you to come in more frequently:
-Pregnancy
-Smoking
-Cancer
-Diabetes
-Heart Disease
-HIV
Dental emergencies
-Tooth pain
-Gum pain and swelling
-Mouth sores that don’t heal
-Teeth sensitivity
-Dental work problem
-Lost a filling
-Chronic dry mouth
-Pain or clicking in jaw
If you have questions about how often you should get a dental check-up, call Dr. David S. Peterson for more information. Please contact The Dental Studio to make an appointment at: 801-278-4787, or come by our office in Sandy, Utah.