When You Should See Your Dentist for Extra Care

How Often Your Dentist Should be Visited

Many people only see their dentist as often as the recommended yearly visits: twice a year. During these visits, these patients are able to get most, if not all, of their oral health needs met. Their teeth are cleaned, their gums are checked for any disease, their X-rays are taken to check for cavities, and their overall oral health is examined for any other conditions that could arise. In these two appointments, a patient can maintain their oral health fairly well and can ensure that their mouth is healthy for the duration of their life.

While these appointments cover the needs we have for our lifetime, they often don’t cover the needs that suddenly come up that require attention quickly. These appointments need to be made as necessary, which don’t always fall within our semi-annual visits, which can cause some people to think they need to wait until their next appointment time. While some issues may be able to wait to be seen, others will require quick attention, so a patient should never worry about or delay a visit to their dentist when they need to see them urgently.

When to See Your Dentist for Something Other Than a Cleaning

There are a few reasons that, consistently, will require your dentist to check on you between your semi-annual appointments. These reasons are usually fairly serious, or at least can cause serious issues if they are not righted quickly. These issues can include:

Chipped/broken tooth: Our teeth are strong, but they can still suffer from chips and breaks. When a tooth is chipped, it can lead to cavities and other tooth decay, later on, so your chipped tooth should be looked at by your dentist. Broken teeth will often be painful, and most people will require a dentist to help alleviate this pain and fix the tooth for continual wear and tear.

Infection in the gums: Infections can happen for a number of reasons, and when they happen in our mouths, they can end up being very complex. These infections will need to be looked at to determine the best course of treatment to heal them and to check on their progress through time and treatment.

Lost tooth: As adults, we can go through accidents where we lose teeth. It’s unfortunate, but it does happen. When we suffer from a lost tooth, we can experience a number of consequences that are unpleasant to deal with, and so we will need to visit our dentist to figure out the best solution possible to fix our lost tooth.

While these are only some of the reasons we may have to see our dentist more than twice a year, they are reasons that should not be ignored. Always check in with your dentist if you are concerned about anything related to your oral health between your check-ups, and always seek help if you are in pain or discomfort.

California Dentist Ready to Assist You

When you are in need of extra dental care, call the Del Mar, CA dental team of Curtis L. Chan, D.D.S. We can help you with your extra dental needs and give you the support you need until you have recovered and back to being at your best oral health. Call our San Diego office today to discuss your needs at (858) 481–9090.