Usually check-ups occur every 6 months, but can sometimes go as long as one year. The better care you take of your mouth the longer you’ll have to go without a checkup. However, the future of your teeth lies in your hands.

The goal of checkup appointments is to keep up with hygiene and keeping your mouth healthy. If there are any procedures, your dentist can map out what needs to be done now and what can wait. Your dentist will do several things during your checkup period. Inspecting your neck and mouth is one of them, in doing this they check for cancer or dental swelling. They will check your mouth for cavities and make sure there’s no decay or build-up. If so they can immediately take care of this and help you get treatment as soon as possible. Your dentist will examine your gums and give you advice and tips for keeping a healthy mouth. In this time, you can ask your dentist anything you have questions about, problem areas or if a tooth is hurting.

Keeping up to date with your appointments and checkups is necessary to stay away from gum disease and decay. The risks of not keeping up with your dental hygiene are terrifying and mostly avoidable. For example, gum disease can be very painful and expensive to treat. You don’t want to lose teeth because the gum isn’t strong enough to hold onto them any longer. Therefore, your goal is to find any dental problems before they even start or begin to get worse.

When you are meeting with your dentist remember to speak up! Be completely honest so they have a better idea of what’s going on at home with your teeth. If you have any questions or need help assisting with anything always ask. It’s much better to ask for help, even if it’s a little embarrassing. Especially if you have pain somewhere in your mouth. Not speaking up could further lead to root canals and following procedures. It’s not worth the pain.

All in all, always go to your checkups and keep up with your dental hygiene. Trust us, it’s worth it.