Once you reach adulthood and you’re living a busy life, you might wonder if you really need to visit the dentist every 6 months or if you’re supposed to go more often or less often. At Oasis Dental Arts in San Diego, we want our patients to have the healthiest smiles possible. We’re often asked how often our patients need to visit us. Below are our suggestions for how often you should visit the dentist for regular dental exams and cleanings and when you should visit outside of these appointments.
Dental Visits for Kids
Children should receive their first dental exam shortly after their first tooth arrives or at least by their first birthday. The sooner your child visits us, the sooner we can learn if there are any problems to worry about down the line. From then on, we recommend a dental visit with us every 6 months to examine their teeth and to provide dental cleanings. These visits are important for detecting problems early and for preventing cavities. Some children might need to visit us more often if they have certain dental problems. Dr. G. will let you know how often your child should visit us.
Dental Visits for Adults
Adults usually have more dental problems than children. Unfortunately, most dental insurance companies only cover two dental visits a year. Your dentist will most likely recommend a visit with us every 6 months. If we recommend more than that, you will most likely have to pay out of pocket. Those who are pregnant, smoke, are being treated for cancer, have diabetes, have heart disease or HIV might need to visit us more often than other patients. These conditions can negatively affect your dental health which requires more dental care.
Other Reasons to Visit the Dentist
If you follow your regular dental exam schedule but run into some other problems, you will need to schedule an appointment with us sooner. For example, if you experience any tooth or gum pain that doesn’t seem to go away or gets worse, you will want to schedule an appointment with us. You should also visit us if you have red, swollen gums that bleed easily, a sore in your mouth that doesn’t heal, extreme sensitivity to hot, cold or pressure, a filling falls out, your restoration feels off, you have dry mouth or you have clicking noises or pain in your jaw.
If you’re overdue for your next dental exam or you think you have a dental problem that needs addressing, give our San Diego dentist a call to schedule an appointment today!