How often should you really get your teeth cleaned?

Where the six month rule came from

The six month checkup is a convention rather than a scientific constant. It works well for most people because it is short enough to catch decay while it is still small, and long enough that plaque has not yet done serious damage.

But it is an average, and averages fit almost nobody exactly.

You may need to come more often

• You have been diagnosed with gum disease, or your gums bleed regularly
• You smoke, which both raises the risk and hides the warning signs
• You have diabetes, which has a two way relationship with gum health
• You are pregnant, when hormonal changes make gums much more reactive
• You have a lot of dental work already, or you build tartar quickly
• You wear braces or aligners

You may be able to stretch it out

If you have no fillings, healthy gums measured at every visit, no history of decay and genuinely good home care, twelve months can be reasonable. That is a decision to make with your dentist based on measurements, not a decision to make on your own based on feeling fine.

Feeling fine is not evidence

This is the part worth taking seriously. Both tooth decay and gum disease are painless until they are advanced. By the time a tooth hurts, the cheap and simple window has usually closed. The whole point of a regular checkup is to find things while you still cannot feel them.

What a clean does that brushing cannot

Plaque hardens into tartar within a couple of days, and once it is hard no toothbrush will shift it. It builds fastest along the gum line and behind the lower front teeth, which is exactly where gum disease starts. Removing it is a mechanical job that has to be done in the chair.