How often should I have my teeth cleaned?

The American Dental Association recommends that people should get their teeth cleaned regularly. How often depends on your oral health needs and your medical condition. For healthy individuals with no presence of periodontal disease, once every six months may be sufficient. However, there are many factors that can affect how often you should get your teeth cleaned. These factors may include:

Oral hygiene

If you floss daily, brush two to three times a day, use other tools like a water pik and soft piks, and have no presence of gum disease, every six months may be just enough.

Underlying health conditions

However, if you have medical conditions that make you susceptible to gum disease, like diabetes, cancer, and heart problems, your dental hygienist and dentist may require you to come in every three to four months for your regular and periodontal cleanings.

Lifestyle choices

And of course, if you smoke or drink beverages that make your teeth stain, your dental hygienist and dentist, may recommend to have your teeth cleaned more frequently than just every six months to prevent gum disease and yellow or brown appearance on your teeth.

Genetics

Unfortunately, genetics can also play a role in how often you need to see your dental hygienist and dentist for your teeth cleaning. Some people just have the genetic make-up where they accumulate a lot of bacterial or calcium deposits on their teeth regardless of their daily efforts on maintaining their oral health.

Gum disease

Finally, if you have been treated for gum disease in the past where your hygienist or dentist have already performed a deep cleaning or gum therapies (also known as scaling and root planing) and you are now in maintenance stage, you should still have your teeth cleaned every three to four months to ensure that the gum disease does not return. For some, missing just one visit for their teeth cleaning can set them back and the dental disease process returns.

In conclusion, always assess what is best for you and your family. At Santee Dental Team, our experienced dental hygienist and dentists are always willing to answer any concerns. We would like to remind our patients that our recommendations are based on your oral health needs. Our goal is to make sure you maintain a healthy mouth to prevent any future problems such as tooth loss. We cannot predict the future and we truly care for your well-being.

Author: Cindy Lasala, R.D.H.

Cindy Lasala has a bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene and received her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Southern California. She has over 20 years of experience as a dental hygienist. She is now one of the full time dental hygienist and a digital content creator for Santee Dental Team.