How often should I visit the Dentist?

Our Clyde Munro dentists are often asked this question, and it seems to be a conundrum that many people have very different answers to. The idea that you don’t need to visit the dentist until you’re in pain, have chipped a tooth, require some elective treatment such as whitening or orthodontics, or any other such ‘need’ is actually a myth.

Did that catch your attention? We thought so. The reason for this is that if you have reached the point of pain or trauma before seeing your dentist, you have probably left things a little too late. OK, so we know that accidents happen, and in an emergency, we do urge you to contact us right away so that we can help, but let’s just talk in terms of your regular dental visits for now.

Let’s find out the answer

Every new Clyde Munro patient will be invited to come along for an appointment with a dentist. This allows us to meet you and speak to you about any concerns you may have about your teeth and oral health, offer our expert advice, and also gives us the chance to have a good look and carry out a full dental check up. We will ask you for your medical history too, because certain health conditions and/or medications can impact the health of your mouth, so we need this information to give us a good idea of what’s going on. From this point, we will have built up quite a good picture of both your oral and overall health.

After this, we’ll be able to advise you on how regularly we’d like to see you for dental check ups and hygiene appointments. This will depend entirely on the current state of your oral health, and as things improve or decline, we may change the suggested frequency. Going back to the original question – how often should I visit my dentist – the answer is unique and individual to you!

Saving you money

The reason for regular dental visits is because we’re in the business of helping you to achieve optimum oral health; by doing so you will feel great, be confident to smile, and remain out of pain, too. We like to spot any potential problems as early as possible so that we can treat them before they become larger issues. Leaving long periods between appointments allows time for plaque to build up, decay to set in, etc, and in some cases, the treatment could have been far less invasive, and less costly, if regular check ups had been in place.

If you want to find out your own, unique answer to this question, search for your nearest Clyde Munro practice using the practice finder, here. You can join our family by calling the friendly reception team who will book you in for a new patient appointment.