Professional Teeth Cleaning - How often ?

I'm curious how often people go to the dentist to see the dental hygienist to get their teeth cleaned ?

I've heard some dentists say to go every 6 months and others say once a year.

Don't want to go too often (just don't like going to the dentist- lol) but also don't want to neglect anything by leaving it too long and potentially causing bigger problems.

Wondering what sort of a regimen my fellow F-chatters follow.

Cheers

 

My insurance pays for 2 annual cleanings, which I believe is what most dentists recommend you should do (minimum). I go about every 4 months and just pay for the extra cleaning out of pocket. The extra $ 60 is well spent IMHO.

 

Me, too. 3x per yer. Insurance pays for 2, I pay for one...

 

No insurance here. Shoot for 3x/year, end up making it about every 5 months.

 

While in my dentist office I overheard a conversation between two other people in the waiting room.

They were discussing cleaning and one of them was concerned that professionally cleaning your teeth more than once a year could lead to over scraping and harming the tooth surface - he likened it to "over - cut polishing " the paint finish on his car.

It's jut a random comment but on the surface it didn't sound completely off...

Is there any truth to this ?

 

I am a dentist, In my opinion, twice a year is fine. BUT, If you are prone to Periodontal Disease, Then go evey 4 months or three times per year to keep the gingival tissues, Periodontia (bone) and plaque all under control..... BTW no worries about the polishing.... Not like a car!!!!

 

determining factors
- your genetic susceptibility to gum disease
- your tartar buildup rate
- your perio pocket readings
ask your dentist. 2 cleanings per yr is fine for some. 4 deeper cleanings per yr for others is necessary.
diabetes makes everything worse, thus some ins companies are paying for 3 cleanings per yr.
talk to your dentist.

 

i would always go 2x a year but this year i plan to go 3x. For an extra $150 might as well keep my teeth and gums as healthy as possible.

 

Last time I was in for a cleaning, they told me I had deep pockets, gum pockets. So I am going to go every 3 months for a year, to keep things under control, and after that I will go every 4 months. My friend is the Dentist so I trust his judgement.

 

I have some "deep pockets" and have been going 3x a year for the last 5 years or so. Never anything other than a cleaning - no cavities, caps etc. The extra $60/yr is worth it.

 

I once went 7 or 8 years without seeing a dentist. The resulting hell from that cleaning changed me for life. I had to go 3 or 4 times over a few weeks. Now it's twice a year every year for the last 20+ years. I get in and out quickly because I stay on top of it, never have any issues. Most insurance covers 2x, so it costs me nothing.

 

2X year. Also they said that I have less buildup since switching from manual brushing to Philips Sonicare.

 

I had periodontal disease now cured. I go to my Periodontist 3 times a year for a "deep" cleaning & my regular dentist once a year so cleaning every 3 months.

 

I try for 4 times a year. Probably less just due to schedule.

 

After I left the USN, I didn't bother going back for over 10 years.

When my current spouse/girlfriend put her foot down, I finally made an appointment & was maybe a little worried what they'd find.

The tech & dentist had a look at my "new patient" info before they started & had scheduled me for an "extended service."

Turns out? It apparently took no more than the average time to remove and built up tartar (though the scraping to remove what was there seemed pretty heavy), I didn't have any worrying gum pockets, no cavities, and all my prior fillings were in good shape.

Call it 3 or 4 years with that dentist & I moved. Another 3+ year hiatus, and current dentist & tech think my teeth are great. They figure my original amalgam fillings from the early 1980's will eventually need work, but no issues at this point.

Other than heredity? Keep your teeth well brushed, don't irritate your gums, and keep the spaces between your teeth clean in one way or another. Put all that together? Extend things as you feel comfortable.

Final note? Dentist said he was going to skip X-Rays next time - will save me money, and nothing has changed since I've been a patient.

p.s: My preferred toothpaste is something from Arm & Hammer. I SOMETIMES manage to use my Sonicare toothbrush. Once in a great while, I'll use my Hydrofloss to get stuff out from between my teeth.

 

I go every 5 months.

I like the fact that the month of the year I go changes all the time.
Easy to do nowadays, as I live on my iPhone calendar and the dentist uses an automated appointment system.

When I was a young adult I would go once per year.
I had a few visits where the cleaning was a little painful, gums bleeding a little, etc.
I figured life was too short to deal with that and have been going 2x a year ever since.
No issues, no pain, in & out pretty quickly - a much better approach.
.

 

I went for a deep cleaning recently because the doctor said I needed it. They supposedly go under the gum line. I really can't tell a difference. Is it really needed or just a way to create a new revenue stream at the dentist.

 

When one of my patients moves away and needs to seek a new dentist they will often ask me how they go about finding/choosing a new clinician.
I always tell them that if they feel uncomfortable or that they can't place their trust in the new one then find someone else!
My approach on advising my patients has always been to treat as I would want to be treated,if i recommend the treatment plan that I would have myself or would provide for my wife or children then i feel that this is the best advice I can give.
As there are often many different treatment plans that are appropriate -this often means that I will recommend a lower cost option , as I feel it is best for that pt at that time,
I tell the young dentists who work in my practices never to chase money as at some point they will come unstuck
If one practices good dentistry at the right price then money will follow -most importantly with a happy patient/customer base , but I would imagine this transfers to most businesses!

proof69-your statement suggests you have little faith in your practitioner ,so move on and find one with whom you are more comfortable.

cheers,bob

 

No

 

I'm in a situation where I like my hygienist, but not the dentist. I swear she messed up one of my teeth during a filling, but claims it's normal. There's a gouge in the side from a clamp.

 

It was probably already there. You aren't going to gouge the side of a tooth with one of those things, believe me. The gum? Hell yes, but not a tooth.

Lots of people get those little "crevices" on the tooth at the gumline. We can't agree as to what even causes them, everyone has an opinion but, if this is what you are describing, I can assure you it wasn't the clamp.

So you can like her again

 

I go 4x per year, but I'm a trumpet player it's my life.

 

EXCEPT to make sure you don't have any other issues in your mouth that need attending to, like: cavities, abscesses, gum disease, a cracked tooth, the list goes on and on. In my case, my hygienist is the first line of defense. She gets a good look around, spots any issues that are obvious, and also leaves me with nice clean plaque free teeth.

She uses some kind of ultrasonic do-dad to get most of the work done, then follows up to catch the leftovers with the old fashioned scrapers, etc.

Oh, and I have used all kinds of tooth brushes over the years, and there doesn't seem to be a huge performance difference between doing a good job with my old fashioned brush and the fancy $200 rechargeable ones. Although I'd guess my gums fare better with the ultrasonic than brushing by hand.

D

 

I generally go 4x a year. I've been thinking about reducing a bit, but I tend to have difficult cleanings if I let it go for 6 months. My mouth has been trouble-free for the several years that I've been on this schedule.