Every six months, since routine cleanings/x-rays are covered by my insurance.
I go every six months. It’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made.
I normally go every six months (and that’s what I answered) but just before my appointment my husband lost a filling, so he got my slot as we don’t have the money right now for both of us to go in the same month.
My teeth and gums have been in good shape for a long time now, and I doubt it will be a problem (for what it’s worth, the dentist agrees - while it’s better if I could go now, lack of money is a reality). I am definitely going within the next few months, though, because we’re trying to avoid expensive problems.
I go every 4-6 months to have my teeth cleaned. I actually went years without going, but finally broke down.
My teeth are in great shape – I haven’t had a cavity since the early 70s, and I strongly suspect I didn’t have any back then, either.
(My dentist at the time seemed to find one every time I visited, even though I never had any before going to him. When last I went, he said there was another he would fix the next time. No other dentist has ever found this one and I’ve never had one since.)
I went to the dentist twice, ever, in the first 18 years of my life. My parents didn’t care unless I was in pain. I’m too lazy to start going now. I cracked a tooth one time chewing on a pen when I was around 23, and just calmly pulled it out myself. No harm, no foul.
Absent any problems, every six months like clockwork.
So was he drilling into nothing when he fixed them?
Last time was about 8 years ago. I’ll go if something hurts but if I can get through the rest of my life without ever seeing a dentist again, I’ll take that option.
What is “the dentist”?
Every six months for a check-up, scale and polish.
I was going every year or couple of years and taking the kids every 6 months. Now we all go to the same dentist so I go every 6 months.
I went something like twice in the last ten years, to get a cleaning.
I said seven months to a year. I go in about twice a year for a cleaning, but I think for insurance purposes they have to be more than six months apart. After the cleaning, the dentist comes in and tells me how great my teeth look then wanders off to see the next patient. I have a hairline crack in one filling on my upper left that he’s been watching for several years, but he says it’s not worth going after unless it gets worse or something else in the neighborhood needs fixing. I make an appointment for six+ months later, and I’m on my way.
Wouldn’t surprise me. I went to a new dentist one time who claimed I had like 18 major cavities, it was going to take several appointments to fix them, terrible state of affairs, etc. Having no history of extreme cavities, I got a second opinion. The other dentist found two small cavities, fixed them that day, and I was on my way.
When I was a kid, It was about once a year. Now I go when there is a problem. So far that has been once in about 15 years. My teeth are good, and I floss regularly. I don’t eat most of the problem foods or drink sodas, coffee, or tea. If I have a problem I’ll go.
I voted ‘never’ because I’ve only been to the dentist a handful of times in my life, and I’ve never had a toothache. I don’t think the dentist is necessary or beneficial unless your teeth are perpetually decaying/infected and you need treatment. Daily nutrition is what keeps your teeth healthy into old age, not having your dentist look at them every 6 months. I went in 2004, then recently for the hell of it - they scraped off the same tartar I’ve always had, right behind my two bottom front teeth, and gave my mouth a clean bill of health.
I spent my childhood in and out of the orthodontist - I’m not fazed at all by work being done on my mouth.
I admit I am blessed with pretty good teeth, inherited from my parents, but that isn’t fool-proof - my sister is having a lot of problems with her teeth right now, but she eats tons of sugary crap and very few of the foods containing the nutrition essential for building and maintaining strong healthy teeth that can resist the acid waste of the sugar-eating bacteria she’s always feeding.
ETA: Also, I think there are plenty of scam artists out there. When I was 11 we moved and my parents took us to a new dentist - I have never had a cavity before or since, but this guy ‘found’ multiple cavities in every member of our family, which he drilled n’ filled. I haven’t had any cavities since, and neither have my parents! But I have large symmetrical fillings, in the center of two upper molars. Annoys the hell out of me.
I’ve had extensive dental work all my life. (I do believe the water was not fluorodated (sp?) when I was growing up.) You name it, I’ve had it done. Now I go once a year for a checkup and cleaning. (My dentist wants to retire and sell his practice, I don’t know if he’ll be there next month. I’ve enjoyed going to this particular dentist, it’s him and his wife and their dental assistant, all three of them have been in business for decades, on the first floor of the most charming, quaint little brick house, with a stunning garden, on the prettiest leafy street in the village.) Who’s going to make my inevitable dentures someday???
I get a cleaning from the dental hygienist every six months, and see the dentist once a year. Of course, they’re part of the same practice, so if the hygienist spotted something bad she would tell me and set up an appointment with the dentist; so far that has happened only once, and I was supposed to go in for a dental heck-up soon anyway. It only changed the meaning of “soon” from “in about six weeks” to “we can squeeze you in next Wednesday, how does that suit you?” Saved me a toothache and possibly some pretty expensive dental work.
Every 6/7 months. For awhile late in high school/college I didn’t go for several years because our dentist retired and I didn’t see anyone on campus. I’ve been told by many dentists (I go to a university dental school) that I could afford to go every few years. I’m blessed with excellent enamel (both of my parents and at least my maternal grandparents have had 0 cavities). I brush 3x/day and floss once/day and have a natural aversion to (sugared) soda and anything sticky. I go every 6/7 months because my parents pay for it. If not, I’d go yearly.
I used to go about once a year. I say ‘about’ because it was actually usually about once every 15 months…until this year, when my dental world crashed all around me. I’ve been to the dentist 9 times this year, with one more visit scheduled for two weeks from now.
My first visit was in May, when I couldn’t take the pain in a left molar anymore, only to be told it was an impacted wisdom tooth that had to be extracted.
When that was done, I had to have the remaining three wisdom teeth removed and a cracked cap redone. One of the wisdom teeth was under the gum and had grown in sideways. It had bothered me for some time, but I didn’t make the connection with the constant dull pain in my jaw with a tooth I couldn’t even feel, much less see. For this, I had dental sedation; the procedure of the gods.
With my wisdom teeth removed, over the next month or so, I had to have a growing periodontal issue resolved before it became serious. During my first treatment I had to have deep scaling.
On my next two visits, I had another cleaning; not nearly as drastic, or painful, as the scaling.
Once my periodontal issues were resolved, I went to have some old fillings replaced.
My next visit was for a whitening treatment, with a process called Zoom. It’s amazing. My teeth have never been so white.
A few years ago I had one molar on the lower left and one on the lower right removed. I had a implant done for the lower left, but never followed up for the one on the lower right because that first implant was so painful, so I have a space on the right where a tooth should be. My upcoming appointment is consultation for the new implant. I’m actually looking forward to it, now that I know I can be sedated and wont feel, see, or hear a thing.
Bottom line is I’ll be going every six months from now on.