“Do I really need teeth cleanings every 6 months?”

You should be flossing and brushing at least twice a day. If you DON'T floss. you can't remove the plaque, bacteria and their toxins from the tooth-gum line area. Tooth brushing can't fit in to remove it. Not flossing is the major cause of tooth loss. If you are careless about flossing and brushing and don't do it every day, imagine the food, bacteria and their waste that is collecting around your teeth. It can have an odor. For those who don't floss or brush daily, every 6 months is not enough. Patients with careless home care will eventually lose their teeth. When you eat after someone do you first ask to look in their mouth? If someone asked to look in your mouth first how would you feel?
There are many people who don't do daily mouth care. Gum disease bacteria can be transmitted to others. Your body may be fighting
if you are careless with your mouth care. Bacteria that you get from close contact and infections elsewhere in your body can be overwhelming. You won't know if your body is unable to handle your mouth bacteria. THAT'S when your bacteria starts attacking your tooth supporting structures. Seeing your dentist twice a year is to see that every thing is OK. You not doing daily mouth care, twice a year visits will not save your teeth. If you are doing daily flossing and brushing correctly, visiting your dentist is to see if there are problems starting they can be restored. Mouth care affects you now and plays a major role in your future health.

Keep them healthy.

Yes it is true, in order to eliminate the plaques under your gums and catch the problems early.

A 6 month dental hygiene recall is important--it allows the doctor to assess the health of your gum and teeth, and the entire oral cavity for any possible problem or disease. Sometimes that may require new x-rays to help the doctor get a full picture of the current status of your mouth. A teeth cleaning every 6 month will allow the doctor and/or hygienist to remove debris on your teeth and around the gums to keep your mouth healthy.

This is definitely true. It would really be more wonderful if dental insurances wouldn’t be the deciding factor on our patients’s oral health. Plaque starts to accumulate every day on your teeth and any places that are missed frequently when brushing or flossing then turns to what is called calculus. Its a stone like formation on and around your teeth and takes no longer than 3 months to reform on your teeth. It has a terrible odor and starts to irritate your gums and bone around the teeth and the longer it sits there without being removed the more damage it does. Causing you to start having receding gum tissue and bone loss around your teeth leading to periodontitis. Once plaque has transition to calculus, you can no longer clean it off on your own. It will have to be manually debrided off by a dental hygienist. This is why it is recommended to have your teeth cleaned at the very least every 6 months. Insurance companies are what regulate the 6 month rule. Ideally every 3-4 months would be more beneficial.

Most patients need to have their teeth cleaned at least every 6 months. Plaque and tarter build up in areas you don't reach well and can't see. It is a rare patient that can go longer, maintain good oral hygiene, and stretch out this interval for 9-12 months.