How often should you visit a dentist?
Most people should come twice a year. If you chew tobacco or paan, or your gums bleed, you should come sooner.
Twice a year is the usual advice, and for most people it is about right. But it is an average, not a rule, and some people genuinely need to come more often.
Come every six months if
Your gums do not bleed, you have had few fillings, and you brush twice a day. A check-up and a cleaning twice a year is enough to catch anything early.
Come every three to four months if
You chew tobacco, gutkha or paan. You smoke. Your gums bleed when you brush. You have diabetes. You wear braces. Any of these makes gum disease more likely and faster-moving, and gum disease is painless until it is advanced.
Come now, not at your next check-up, if
You have pain that wakes you at night, a swelling on the gum or face, a tooth that has broken, or bleeding that does not settle. These do not improve on their own.
Why check-ups are worth it
Most dental problems are cheap and quick to fix early, and expensive and slow to fix late. A small cavity is a filling. The same cavity a year later can be a root canal and a cap. The visit costs you twenty minutes.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Every mouth is different. Book a check-up so the dentist can look at yours before you decide anything.
