Our team understands that most of our patients view dental appointments as a chore. Despite our best efforts to create a welcoming and safe environment, dental visits have a certain stigma around them. Some patients worry about the cost. Other patients feel that they're too busy to fit dental appointments in their schedule. Some patients mistakenly believe that good oral practices at home are all that they need for good oral care. And some patients may feel like they receive lectures about habits that endanger their oral health. However, the drawbacks of missing routine dental visits outweigh any drawbacks for attending the appointments.
Problems Caused by Skipping Regular Dental Care
Although good oral health care can reduce the amount of plaque that forms on their teeth, patients cannot remove plaque from their teeth by themselves. When patients do not attend routine cleanings to have the plaque removed, the plaque can accumulate, leading to gum disease, tooth decay, or even lost teeth. In addition, dentists check patients' mouths during a routine cleaning, looking for signs of other diseases such as oral cancer or even the onset of diabetes. Without these routine checks, a disease can grow unchecked until it becomes a major problem. Finally, routine cleanings remove light stains, but skipping multiple cleanings could cause stains to darken, requiring more severe treatments such as bleaching to remove.
How Often Should You See Our Dentists?
The consensus among experts is that patients with average oral health should get routine cleanings at least once every six months. Patients with pronounced periodontitis or other oral care problems should schedule routine cleanings more frequently.
Our team strongly advises that our patients not let plaque, tartar, and other harmful materials accumulate in their mouths. Call our office today to set up a schedule for routine dental care.
Dentist Bend, OR • Dental Blog • Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend Dr. Thomas E. Wold has created this blog to help educate the community. Like a Post? Please use the "share it" button to post to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend, LLC - Thomas E. Wold DMD, 124 NW Hawthorne Ave. Bend, OR. 97703 \ (541) 389-0261 \ wolddmd.com \ 9/21/2023 \ Key Phrases: dentist Bend OR \