Planning a dental visit as an adult can be a bit of a hassle. If you have to request time off from work or need to plan for childcare during the appointment, you may be tempted to put off your twice-annual cleaning visits. Yet skipping routine dental visit appointments can add up and threaten your oral health over time. It's essential to make all your dental visits, sometimes even more than two per year, to ensure you catch early warning signs of problems like gum disease.
First, the deep cleaning you receive twice a year during your dental visit makes a big difference to your overall health. Removing tartar on the teeth before it hardens and becomes plaque is essential, and that's why you brush twice a day. But without the cleaning to remove the little bit of tartar that builds up even on perfectly brushed teeth, you'll eventually find the early stages of gum disease setting in. That's why you shouldn't go longer than six months without seeing the dentist, even if you think you're handling your oral care routine pretty well. Missing out on one or two cleanings here and there won't hurt, but don't make a habit of skipping them.
If it's difficult to schedule your dentist appointments every six months, try looking for a more flexible dentist. Extended office hours or weekend appointments can help you get the care you need without having to completely rearrange your schedule. If possible, make it clear to your employer that you value your oral health and can't compromise on missing essential care visits. When the issue is family responsibilities instead, look for a dentist that offers care for your children or comfortable waiting areas for older parents while you're in the dentist's chair.
Missing out on a few dental visits in a row can certainly leave you dealing with the early stages of gum disease. But even just routine skipping of one visit per year can leave you dealing with gum inflammation that could have been avoided. A single dental visit a year is better than nothing, but it puts you at higher risk of developing gum disease due to the buildup of tartar at the gum line. It also makes it harder for the dentist to find problems like tooth decay or abscesses that lead to the need for a root canal. If you stop by every six months, you're helping to catch all of these issues early so they can be treated with minimal effort.
Cavities can worsen quickly once tooth decay sets in. A quick dentist visit catches the decay at the start where only a minor filling is needed. Placing larger fillings to cover greater patches of tooth decay increases the likelihood of early failure or other issues. Keep your fillings small when they are needed by not avoiding any routine dental visits.
The key is finding time for an appointment every six months, even if it means rearranging your schedule a little. Prioritizing these routine visits can keep them even shorter by eliminating the need for extensive checking for potential tooth decay or other problems. Making time for taking care of your teeth has to be more than just an everyday decision. Scheduling at least two visits a year to the dentist will support your overall health by reducing inflammation that can be caused by gum disease. If you have an ongoing dental health concern, you may even need to visit more than twice per year until you've completed all of the necessary treatments.
King Dental is ready to help with flexible scheduling for your routine dental appointments. Choose us as your Huntsville dentist today.
