Preventive Dentistry: How Often to Visit the Dentist and What to Do at Home
During our day to day busy schedules it’s not uncommon for certain tasks or duties to get placed on the backburner. Finding time to go to the dentist or periodontist for your regularly scheduled check up can often fall into this backburner category. However, maintaining routine visits is essential to making sure that you are doing all you can to ensure your oral health and oral hygiene is being made a priority. Also, having some standard check ins with your dentist or periodontist will help with preventative measures that may need to be taken.

How Often Should You Visit the Dentist for Routine Appointments?
When it comes to routine dentist appointments it was once thought that visiting your dentist once a year was the best way to ensure you were taking the proper steps to ensure your oral health. Now it is thought that visiting your dentist twice a year is the best way to maintain your oral health. Also, if you suffer from any sort of dental issues it’s recommended that you visit your dentist even more than the standard twice a year. Doing so will help to protect you from further damage and also it will provide you with the opportunity to get a treatment plan constructed and put into practice by your local dentist. If you avoid seeing the dentist when you have minor issues, they could develop into something serious resulting in things such as periodontitis. If you develop this, you will need to visit a a periodontist immediately. While it’s important to visit your dentist or periodontist there are also preventative measures you can take at home.

What to Do at Home
The amount of effort that you put into your oral hygiene when you are at home will decrease the amount of work you’ll need when you do visit a dentist. It also decreases the chance of having bad oral health.

Here are basic preventive dental practices you should be performing at home, every day:

∙         Brush twice a day for two to three minutes each time

∙         You should get in the habit of flossing at least once a day

∙         Rinse with an antiseptic oral cleanser or a mouthwash

These are long-term tips for strong dental hygiene at home:

∙         Replace your toothbrush, or brush head for electric brushes, every three or four months

∙         Visit your dentist annually and follow-up with more appointments if recommended

∙         Ask your dentist about preventive dental services offered and take advantage of them

Continue the Conversation with your Local Periodontist
If you would like to learn more about preventative dentistry it would be best to set up an appointment with your local periodontist. This will ensure that you get all of your specific questions answered in person.