What should my oral health care and maintenance schedule be?
Dr. Jackson: Well, for the very minimum, you need to make sure that you come in every six months if you have your full dentition. Based on your oral hygiene habits at home, as well as any type of possibility of periodontal disease or high rates of decay, it may be more frequently.
For someone who has dentures, the timing is a bit different. A lot of people think, “If I’ve got dentures, I don’t need to go see the dentist again.” You need to have at least an oral cancer screening annually as well as check and make sure that your dentures are fitting appropriately. This helps us to know when it’s time for a new set of dentures, or any changes or adjustments that may need to occur.
Are there any non-medical reasons why somebody would need to come in earlier? Doesn’t plaque build up much more rapidly for some people?
Yes, based on oral hygiene habits along with some of the personal dental characteristics, your oral health care maintenance schedule may be different. Some people can have plaque build up a little more frequently than others. This is due to the composition of their saliva. Essentially, it’s really a one-on-one approach as to what’s best for each patient.
