Why does your dentist recommend you visit them every 6 months?

If you have ever visited a dentist for your teeth problems, after the completion of your treatment the dentist might have recommended you to visit them after 6 months or within a year for dental follow-up.

At times you might have received a call from the dental office reminding you that it’s time for your annual/ semi-annual dental check-up.

Have you ever wondered why are they calling you back when everything is fine and you don’t have any dental problems?

The answer to this question is a simple one. Let us consider a similar scenario here, so that we can understand this better. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, you will have to visit your physician. The physician will ask you to get some blood reports and x-rays. He will understand your current health status and start you on medicines. Probably after a few months, the physician will ask you to visit them, so that they can monitor your health over a period. This monitoring helps your doctor to understand how well you have been following your medicine regime or the treatment protocol set by them for you. Also, if there is any fluctuation in the disease process from the normal range, your physician can detect it at an early stage and get those levels within the normal range with the minimum level of treatment or care.

The same concept applies when it comes to dental problems and their treatment. When an individual undergoes dental procedures such as root canal treatment, dental fillings, crowns, and bridge, completion of the treatment does save the tooth and relieves you of the dental pain/discomfort. But at the same time, regular dental check-ups at timely intervals are needed so that your dentist can monitor how well you are maintaining your oral hygiene, thereby increasing the stability of the said treatment.

Also, many dental problems in their initial stage are small and don't cause any pain or discomfort. Such dental issues go unnoticed by the patient in the early stage of disease progression. By the time an individual notices their dental problem such as a cavity, bad breath, bleeding or swollen gums, or in some cases dental pain, the dental problem most often is in the moderate to severe stage. So timely dental check-ups do help in the early detection of most common dental issues.

Just look at the image below

There is a popular saying in dentistry “DENTISTRY IS NOT EXPENSIVE, NEGLECT IS”

Early detection of dental problems facilitates easier management as well as reduces the total number of treatment visits to the dentist in the future. Smaller the dental problem and lesser the treatment, significantly reduces the overall cost of the dental treatment itself.

Individuals who have undergone a considerable amount of dental treatment in the past or have recurring dental issues such as cavities should consider visiting their dentist more frequently such as once every 3-4 months.

We at Suyog Dental Clinic and Implant Centre do recommend all our patients to visit us every 6 months for a routine dental check-up. During the dental check-up, we do a complete dental examination followed by dental x-rays as and when required. We have even set up a follow-up system wherein our patients receive reminders via text message and a personal call. This protocol helps us to serve our patients and see that our vision of delivering happy smiles is met.