How Often Do You Need a Dental Cleaning From a General Dentist?

Visiting your general dentist for a dental cleaning is important for your oral health. Many people want to know how often they should have a cleaning. It would be convenient to have a schedule set for going to the dentist. If you want to find out how often you need a dental cleaning, here are the details.

Dental deep cleaning and routine dental cleanings

A general dentist can perform two types of dental cleaning. Dental deep cleaning is a thorough cleaning of the patient’s gums and teeth. This type of cleaning should have follow-up routine cleanings to maintain its results. The general dentist can determine how often routine dental cleanings must happen. The recommendation will follow after the checking of the patient’s teeth and gums.

Average suggestion

It is common knowledge for dental patients to go through two dental cleanings in a year. A dental deep cleaning is for patients whose teeth and gums are in bad condition. Patients with this kind of problem should see the dentist for cleanings every three months after the dental deep cleaning. In three months, the gums and teeth return to their bad shape. This puts the patient’s oral health at great risk.

This does not apply to all patients. There are those whose dental health improves after some dental cleaning sessions. Some dentists change the suggested number of routine dental cleanings. Patients who have good results from the current dental cleanings will not need to return that many times after.

The general dentist may suggest more or fewer routine dental cleanings after the dental deep cleaning. A patient with good oral health does not need to come back for frequent routine dental cleanings. A patient who had more than one dental deep cleanings in a lifetime should get routine dental cleanings every three months. A patient with severe periodontitis should have more frequent routine dental cleanings.

Dental patients may or may not listen to the general dentist. Patients risk their oral health if they do not follow the recommendation. Dentists recommend a schedule for dental cleanings to help patients achieve better oral health. Those who want to regain optimal dental health will follow the recommendation. These patients can have cleanings as often as they want.

Recommendation from the ADA (American Dental Association)

The ADA says that the general dentist should determine the intervals for routine dental cleanings. ADA believes that one individual’s dental needs are different from another person’s. A blanket cleaning recommendation will not apply to everyone. Each person has a different genetic design and a personal care routine.

Most dentists recommend having routine dental cleanings two times each year. The majority of insurance companies recognize this frequency of dental cleanings. Six months is the normal period of plaque development. Bacteria begin working on the patient’s teeth again right after the dental cleaning.