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EDIT: Misleading title. What I meant was is going to the dentist regularly every 6 months a necessity?
As a regular patient at the dentist's office ever since I was a child, I never really questioned why I go there I guess due to my habit. But recently, I found out I couldn't make the appointed visit for cleaning/check-up because of my conflicting schedule. That's what led me to think if going there every 6 months is really necessary.
From my experience, health care professions seem to be extremely cautious in their field. For example, vitamin d. I believe the recommended dose was about 500 UI, but recent studies show that up to 5,000 UI of vitamin d supplementation is recommended to have any health benefits. I just want to point out that the new recommended dose is 1000% more. It's obvious that the previous studies wanted to be safe due to the fact that vitamin d is fat soluble, which can be toxic if you take too much.
My question is: Is going to the dentist every 6 months for regular cleaning and check-up way too often? I know that there's the variable that every single person is different, but are dentists trying to be just as cautious as the people who recommended 500 UI vitamin d?
I'm thinking about having my regular visits every year. Some input would be nice. I'd ask my dentist, but I don't think that will be enough to persuade me as I have already googled this and I've never seen so much bias and lack of studies.
Poll: How often do you visit the dentist?4-6 months (21) 40% 10 months-1 year (12) 23% >5 years (8) 15% 1-2 years (6) 11% 7-9 months (2) 4% 2-3 years (2) 4% 3-4 years (1) 2% 4-5 years (1) 2% 1-3 months (0) 0% 53 total votes Your vote: How often do you visit the dentist? (Vote): 1-3 months
(Vote): 4-6 months
(Vote): 7-9 months
(Vote): 10 months-1 year
(Vote): 1-2 years
(Vote): 2-3 years
(Vote): 3-4 years
(Vote): 4-5 years
(Vote): >5 years
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Use to go every 6 months as a kid just because my mum made me. After hs though it's basically once a year.
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I'll be honest, i havent been in years. my teeth arent ridiculously yellow, although they could be better. My teeth have always felt to me as if they are decaying ("deep" indents in the middle of them.) but it felt like it before and the dentist told me i have wonderful teeth.
I have a phobia of them because one viciously ripped a tooth out of my head when i was younger, then some bitch shouted at me when i refused a needle in the mouth too. I dont like dentists or needles much 
So yeah, my teeth seem to be ok, they can get sensitive sometimes but i dont get toothaches and they arent turning brown and rotting out of my head, i think im cool :D.
Im not even the most hygienic of people when it comes to my teeth either, i often skip brushing in the mornings because im in a rush or feeling lazy. I do use alot of mouthwash and tend to brush at least once a day though..
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On December 22 2011 09:01 Metal[x] wrote:
Use to go every 6 months as a kid just because my mum made me. After hs though it's basically once a year.
Same exact thing for me.
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I think it should be like a doctor, you go when you are sick in the teeth and maybe a checkup once a year at most. If you just brush and drink plenty of water you should be fine. Mankind lived without dentistry for a long, long time and managed to eat much tougher things than we eat today.
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Unless you know your teeth are bad, or there is something that crops up (pain, stains etc.), you can probably do without the dentist for quite some time; taking care of your teeth yourself, with the multitude of products that now exist for self-use, is a lot easier and cheaper than a dentist visit in most cases. It might never be the same level that can be achieved, but as with anything, price vs. quality.
Doesn't make as much difference in the States since you pay either way, but since dentistry isn't covered the way healthcare is up here in Canada (depending on your work benefits if you have them), dentists like the extra income of more frequent visits even though you don't need it.
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Really depends on how well you take care of your teeth.
I have a ridiculously sweet tooth, and had 5 fillings last time I visited my dentist, despite going for regular checkups. So it's probably necessary for me to keep my dental health up.
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On December 22 2011 09:01 Metal[x] wrote:
Use to go every 6 months as a kid just because my mum made me. After hs though it's basically once a year.
Same here.
I've moved to a new city and never bothered to find a new dentist to be honest. I'll go if I feel any pain or something off in my mouth, but I brush my teeth normally and don't have many problems with them (I went cavity free for about 23 years, although I had a couple last time I went).
It's just so ridiculously expensive, and going to a dentist feels like willingly giving your money to a rip off artist. I went once because I had a small inflammation over 1 of my teeth (felt like a small pressure, didn't even hurt), ended up costing me like 700$ for barely any work and my insurance only paid back like 30% of that because they didn't agree with the price. I wasn't even informed of the price before I went in, assuming it would be like normal, 100-200$. Obviously I would've lived with the pressure if I had known.
I have never gone back to a dentist since that time. Fucking thieves, I don't think I had ever been that angry in my life.
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I go around 3 times a year love going feels so good to have super clean teeth!
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I only went once in my life. I brush twice a day, so my teeth look and feel fine. Once there's a problem, then I'll go see one. Probably not a good idea but w/e, worth the risk.
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United States24495 Posts
6 months seems good to me
The dentist may catch a cavity before symptoms start to show up. Plus he gives it a better cleaning than you ever could.
In my case, my dentist is hilarious so people want to go for their dental checkups as often as possible anyway. Shame he'll probably be retiring soon due to his age.
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I go every year for a cleaning and cavity check. Haven't had any serious problems.
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I think it depends on what kind of teeth you have. When we were kids, mine seemed to be made of sugar while my sister never paid a visit to the dentist until she was six. -.-V
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yeah it depends and sometimes you might find shit that you didn't even expect. Cavities are small shit, if I have one it just gets filled.
Just went my dentist for a check up + cleaning (first in 2 years or so lol...). I didn't have any cavities, but I did have some crazy dormant extra tooth that he found in my gums with an x-ray ><
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United States24495 Posts
My parents have always told me they wish modern dental technology was around when they were younger (kids, young adults, etc). Not going to the dentist regularly is giving an open invitation to all sorts of problems down the line. I am really hoping I can avoid having lots of awful, awful dental procedures.
Some of your most unpleasant experiences in life can probably be chalked up to dental problems. Don't take your teeth for granted.
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Is it necessary to go every 6 months? No, I don't think so, but you really should. Your mouth is the last place you want a problem and a lot can go wrong with it. Plus some of the more serious dental procedures are literal nightmares that WILL scar you for life, these can be avoided by regular visits to the dentist.
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The bad thing about dental issues is that they only typically become obvious when it's too late to take care of with easy and simple solutions. Teeth also cannot be naturally repaired by the body. If you do things like lose your enamel, it's gone for good. If you know for certain that you take care of your teeth, then you can skip out. If not, then go, at least to make sure that you don't have crap in your mouth. You won't regret it, considering how painful the aforementioned required solutions are.
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my dad doesn't go but he has one of those scrapey things that he uses periodically and he brushes 3x a day and flosses.
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Yes almost everyone should go at least every 6 months. Some people like myself have fucked up ratios of the things in your saliva (like calcium) so bacteria gets at my teeth faster so I'm apparently supposed to go every 4 months. My dentist is a very cool and smart dude and explained to me all the reasons that I should come in at least twice a year and that was more than enough to convince me. Sadly I can't remember all the stuff he said.
But, the sooner you catch stuff the better etc, and cmon it's really not that bad going twice a year. You wont die if you go less frequently, but your teeth WILL rot out sooner than normal (this doesnt mean tomorrow, this is more like dentures at 40-50) and you'll most likely encounter a lot more problems etc.
Also it's pretty easy for the hygenists and stuff to notice if you have bad habits (like brushing too hard = receding your gum line) or yelling at you for not flossing I think all of my cavities I've ever had were from not flossing (not that I'm going to start) etc etc
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i go every 1-2 years but thats only when i dont have dental insurance, it costs so much in the US that without insurance(which usually doesnt cover all of it) is just completely unaffordable. i still have a few wisdom teeth i need to get pulled but at $400 a tooth + $4-500 for anesthesia im not gonna get that anytime soon
however, i think going every 6 months is a good idea if you can afford it, if not once a year. There's no reason to not go to the dentist if you can afford it.
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EPT
