We grew up with the advice that we should visit our dentist twice a year. Our dental insurance, if we have it, has bought into that idea and most policies will cover that to some degree.
Now we often hear that we should have three or four cleanings per year. What’s up with that? It has nothing to do with when the office rent is due. More accurately it has to do with a greater scientific understanding of periodontal disease.
In the fifties and sixties when the concept of visit your dentist twice a year was first promoted we didn’t know anything about periodontal disease and what caused it and decay was still rampant (there was no fluoride toothpaste and no fluoride in the water) so it was probably a significant step forward.
Now we know that periodontal disease is caused by bacterial plaque growing around the teeth. And we know two other important facts; timely removal of this plaque prevents progression of the disease, and currently we do not have a cure for this infection.
In some ways it is akin to managing diabetes, the better we are at controlling the infection, the better our patients do but the moment we relax and the moment we stop working, the infection returns. Consequently, for those individuals that are susceptible, timely removal of the plaque is critical.
We know that after two or three months, in possibly as many as half the adult population over 40, the volume of bacteria has increased to the point where the body’s immune system is overwhelmed, and the types of bacteria have changed from a population that is essentially friendly to one that is potentially harmful.
Thus we find that if we can remove this harmful plaque every two to three months that the loss of bone around the teeth can be prevented and you get to keep your teeth for a lifetime.