How often should I see the dentist or hygienist?

   
     TV advertisements or commercials do not always give the right information.  How often we visit our dentist or hygienist is one of them.  I once heard an advertisement say that we should visit the dentist once or twice a year and that’s enough.  Well, that’s not true for everyone!

     In general, children and adults with a healthy mouth should see their dentist at least two times a year.  For those who have high decay (cavity) risk and people with periodontitis, they need to see the dentist more often.  People who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease usually need a periodontal therapy treatment (scaling & root planing).  After its completion, periodontal maintenance is recommended in a 3 or 4 month recall interval.  This is imperative to help maintain a healthy status.  A recall interval is suggested based on the patient’s home care.  Better home care could mean fewer visits with the hygienist.  People with high decay rate should also see the dentist more often.  Radiographs are taken once a year, sometimes twice.  Decay can start fast and spread quickly, depending on the part of the tooth.  The root of the tooth has no enamel so the decay can get big much faster.  With this in mind, the dentist/hygienist can give preventive treatments to those in- need: in-office fluoride treatments, oral hygiene instructions, prescribing pastes that would help remineralize decalcifying tooth surfaces, and nutritional counseling.

     Visiting the dentist is very important.  It is essential to either maintain or attain a healthy mouth.

                

Why More Frequent Cleanings After Periodontal Disease Treatment? by Douglas Urban, DDS

I just had my periodontal disease fixed so why do I need more frequent cleanings?

This question is often asked after periodontal treatment. Frequent periodontal cleanings keep the areas under the gums free of bacteria and biofilm.  The dental hygienist is able to retreat any areas before damage occurs. Let me explain.

Periodontal disease is painless and once bone loss becomes significant it may be too late to do anything but remove the diseased tooth. For this reason it is wise to treat the early stages before bone loss is irreversible.  Periodontal disease is most often not curable, but it can be managed to prevent further bone loss and loose teeth.

Basically, periodontal disease is a condition where specific toxic bacterial populations invade the space between the teeth and gums. (The bad breath odor of periodontitis is very noticeable and quite specific. Usually a clinician can make a preliminary diagnosis just from the smell.) This bacterial invasion causes damage to the surrounding tissues as a result of the body’s inflammatory response and the lethal effects of bacteria on living tissue. Even after treatment the cleansed pockets around each tooth remain exposed to new armies of bacteria to re-populate the original spaces between the teeth and gums. Home cleanings are not always able to remove the toxic debris in these areas.  Your dental hygienist has the special tools and skills maintain healing gums.

Bone heals slowly. Healing bone is very sensitive to the inflammatory processes that accompany periodontal disease. Bone will not “fill in” or grow to a healthy state as long as the disease process is allowed to proceed unchecked. Once management of the disease is stabilized cleaning intervals can be changed according to each person’s recovery rate.