While two annual cleanings at the dentist is a standard practice, the preventative practice is not a one-size-fits-all rule of thumb.
Additionally, even those who consider their dental hygiene beyond reproach, it is still necessary to undertake professional, preventative dental care at least twice a year.
The origins of seeing a dentist twice a year began with an advertising campaign for Pepsodent in 1929.
The two-times-a-year standard was subsequently built into dental insurance plans which today, almost a century later, typically only cover two preventative cleanings each year, Dr. Rick Rzepka, dentist and owner of Rzepka Dental in Beachwood, said.
“Even though the twice-a-year visit is almost universal, it is a minimum. Some people should see a dentist three times a year, or even four times a year,” depending on a person’s hygiene practice, the condition of teeth, gums, and enamel, and the propensity for tartar and plaque build-up, Rzepka said.
Rzepka imparts the same advice for those with stellar brushing habits and strong teeth and gums.
“A lot of people say ‘I brush my teeth every day, I don’t need to go to the dentist.’ But no matter how much you brush, plaque will build up in places you only think you are reaching,” Rzepka said.
Rzepka, who has a practice in Beachwood, recommends an electric toothbrush for the best at-home results.
A Waterpik, a trade name for an oral irrigator, is also an effective tool in combating tooth decay.
“But nothing will match a professional cleaning,” Rzepka said.
Some patients go beyond an electric toothbrush and a Waterpik by investing in some of the professional teeth-cleaning tools that dental hygienists use.
But even with those kinds of tools in hand, it takes the expertise of a dental hygienist, trained at a dental school, to effectively use them, according to Dr. Rick Adelstein, a partner at Obermeier, Adelstein, Lempel and Associates, in Beachwood.
“Even if you had the training, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to work inside your own mouth,” he said.
While two professional cleanings a year is a standard of the American Dental Association, Adelstein concurs that many patients should be seen more than twice a year for professional cleanings.
“Poor dental hygiene and even genetics,” are factors that might require more frequent cleanings than twice a year, he said.
Not adhering to the ADA standard of two annual cleanings often results in dental conditions, including gingivitis and periodontal disease, according to Adelstein.
Gingivitis, a mild and common form of gum disease that causes a redness and swelling of the gums, and stemming from poor dental hygiene, is reversible with stringent dental hygiene, he said.
But periodontal disease is irreversible, though its progression can be halted with professional intervention and effective hygienic management, Adelstein said.
“No matter how often or well you brush, nothing matches a professional cleaning,” said Rzepka, adding that oral X-rays should be done annually to ensure the best preventative dental care.
A. Kevin Corvo is a freelance journalist.
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