The importance of dental checkups: how often should they be performed?

Dental checkups: we often think we have a healthy mouth because we feel no pain or notice no visible defects, and as a result we let too much time pass between dental checkups.

In doing so, we neglect early-stage, asymptomatic problems that can worsen and develop into far more serious diseases.

Tartar that accumulates behind the lower incisors, for example, is not easily noticeable but if not removed in time can cause severe inflammation on the periodontium, especially on the gums, up to and including-in severe cases-the bone to which the root is anchored.

Caries is also an absolutely asymptomatic phenomenon at an early stage; often patients precisely because of the lack of pain think they can live with it and do not treat.
Caries almost never heals on its own; in fact, over time it is easy for the amount of affected tooth to increase, requiring much more invasive mandatory dentist intervention.

For all these reasons, it is important to have a periodic dental checkup with your dentist.

How often to have a dental checkup?

By visiting the dentist every 6 months, patients are able to nip symptoms of a disease in the bud, sometimes even latent ones.

The follow-up visit is a specialist visit that requires time and expertise. It is one of the most important steps in establishing the patient's treatment plan. The clinician checks the appearance and function of all components of the mouth for inflammation, infection, trauma, caries, fractures, old infiltrated fillings, damaged dentures, and unhealthy teeth.

During the examination, it is also essential to investigate the position of the teeth, their occlusion, and their function (chewing, phonation, aesthetics, etc.). It is also important to check areas of the mouth that are hidden or covered such as interdental spaces, gingival pockets, and bone thickness.

With orthopanoramic imaging, it is possible to determine the presence of any granuloma and cyst formations within the bone, and in view of more complex surgeries, it is possible to accurately identify the presence of sufficient bone to make an implant.

Sometimes the clinician may decide to give the patient a free checkup, but it is important to reiterate the concept: free is not synonymous with pressapochism. The first visit and the various periodic checkups help save money and improve the function and aesthetics of the mouth.