19 Jan Dental Hygiene and Tissue Therapy: How Often Should You Visit?
Today, the reality of dental hygiene is that most of us often put it off until it becomes urgent. We’ve become accustomed to canceling appointments or “moving them to a later date”. But the truth is, it’s a necessity to remain in optimal health; because we all know a tooth gone bad means serious pain down the road.
Usually, dentists offer a 6-9 month window for when you should come in for your next check-up but to make sure your teeth are in optimal health, you might need to come in more regularly than you once thought. By prioritizing your routine hygiene or tissue therapy, you will run into fewer problems in the future, and you will be saving yourself time and discomfort in the long term.
First, let’s take a look at these individual types of oral care therapy and why they are important:
Hygiene Therapy: Most clients are familiar with this process as it is their “regular dental check-up.”
Hygiene Therapy is recommended for patients within a ‘normal limit’ of healthy gum tissue and is intended to help maintain the health of your oral hygiene. It is approximately a 60-75 minute procedure where we update radiographs if required, remove plaque, calculus, and stains from your teeth; followed the usual polishing, fluoride and oral examination by your dentist. This therapy is intended to help maintain the health of your oral tissues and early detection for any dental disease or decay.
Tissue or Periodontal Therapy: Commonly known as a “deep cleaning” where clients come in to see their Hygienist every 3-4 months.
Tissue Therapy is our clients that show more progressed or severe signs of gum disease. When there is a visible loss of bone, bleeding or irritated gums, and tartar below the gums, we begin the necessary process of deep scaling. The rough spots on the root or roots of the teeth are smoothed out, removing all traces of bacteria and to leave a better, cleaner surface for the tissue to tighten up and heal itself. Hygienists can offer our clients long lasting topical or local anesthetic during this treatment as the deep cleaning can be sensitive depending on the severity of the condition. Tissue or Periodontal Therapy if mild can usually be completed in one 60-minute appointment every 3-4 months, for more moderate to severe cases we break up the areas and work within quadrants of the mouth; this can take two or four visits to see positive progress in controlling the disease.
Now that we understand how important these cleanings are, let’s assess why you should consider booking them more than two times a year:
It’s true, some lucky people can get away with seeing their dentist just once a year, but for the majority of us, that is not the case. 7 out of 10 Canadians will develop gum disease, and the sad reality is that gum disease goes unnoticed until it becomes painful. It is so important to prevent gum disease at its early stages to keep it under control. However, those who are at higher risk for dental diseases should visit every three to four months.
Typically, high-risk patients are:
- Diabetics
- Pregnant women
- People with weakened immune systems
- Cavity or plaque prone patients
- Those currently fighting gum disease
Other risk factors include:
- Age
- Use of Tobacco
- Stress
- Certain Medications
- Systemic Diseases or Genetically more susceptible
- Poor Nutrition and Obesity
If you find that you fit into any one of these categories, or are worried about how often you should be seeing the dentist, then do not hesitate to ask your dentist about your concerns at your next appointment.
When prioritizing your dental health, it goes without saying that the more often you visit, the easier it becomes to discover any complications, as well as it’s easier to keep on top of your oral care. Also, check-ups that are performed on a more consistent basis than twice a year allow for us to help prevent gum disease from developing in the future. Just like anything, the more repeatedly the process is performed, the more your results will progress positively.
The best way to assess how often you should be visiting the dentist is by visiting the dentist. Sounds kind of funny, right? However, when you book your dental appointment, we will be able to recommend to you a suitable appointment schedule for your specific oral care needs.