How often should you have dental check-ups?
This entirely depends on your individual situation, based on the current health of your mouth and teeth. It is advised to have regular routine check-ups with a dentist, however you must seek advice from your dentist, or register with a dentist to get an appointment and find out based on your personal circumstances how frequently you need to visit. The NHS recommend that adults have dental check-ups at least every 2 years and children under 18 at least once a year.
Maintaining a good level of dental hygiene will help towards preventing gum disease and tooth decay.
Regular dental check-ups can ensure that early detection of teeth and gums problems are identified and can be treated earlier on rather than later on where problems may have developed further.
For example, common problems that dentist advice is usually sought for can be;
- Wisdom tooth pain;
- Bleeding gums;
- Recurring toothache
- Bad toothache
- Red and swollen gums
- Gum abscesses
- Tooth sensitivity
(Please note this list is not exhaustive and you may wish to seek medical advice for many other symptoms)
Why is dental health important?
Seeing a dentist for routine check-ups is important as there are a number of oral health problems such as gum disease and tooth decay which originate from the mouth and teeth region. If you are concerned about any dental pain or other mouth or teeth problems that you may be experiencing then you should contact your dentist for advice as soon as possible. If left untreated, this could worsen your issue. You can also visit the NHS
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/dentalhealth/Pages/Dentalhome.aspx for more information.
Dentist Locator
If you need to locate your nearest dentist you can use this NHS online tool to find out where local practices are close to you:
http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Dentists/LocationSearch/3
This online tool allows you to insert your postcode and find out what local practices accept for example; whether the practice is currently accepting new patients for registration or perhaps whether they accept urgent NHS dental appointments.
For any other health related issues you can also use this NHS page to access other services nearest to you (including local GP practices):
http://www.nhs.uk/service-search/
Further Oral Health Information
Tooth Decay – plaque build up, toothache, tooth sensitivity, spots on teeth, bad breath
Prevention of Tooth Decay – reduce sugary drinks and food intake, brush teeth regularly at least twice a day, practice good oral hygiene, have regular dentist visits, avoid excessive alcohol drinking and smoking.
Gum Disease – symptoms can be; sore, infected or swollen gums, bleeding gums when brushing teeth, bad breath (seek your dentist’s advice who can check on the health of your gums – early gum disease symptoms are also known as gingivitis and if untreated can lead to periodontitis which can ultimately lead to tooth loss – NHS information)
If you visit your dentist they will be able to prescribe the best treatment for you.
External Website Links for Further Help and Advice
NHS Advice Dental Health & Hygiene
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/dentalhealth/Pages/Dentalhome.aspx
British Dental Association:
https://www.bda.org/public/pages/index.aspx
Oral Health Foundation Charity:
Sources of information
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/dentalhealth/Pages/Dentalhome.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dental-decay/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gum-disease/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
