Q. I had a check-up recently and I am due for another one again? How often should I be having a check-up?

A. Every individual is different so the recall date of when your next check-up will depend on certain factors after the dentist assesses you.

The recall before your next check-up can be anywhere from 3 months to 2 years depending on the health of your mouth.

Some of the factors that can play a part when the dentist is deciding on how long they should see you again can be;

• Gum health – Gum disease is the most common disease amongst people and if you suffer with it severely, the dentist has a duty to prevent the gum disease getting worse and will try their best to stop it. This may mean seeing you on a regular basis to monitor the changes.
  
• Dentures – If you have no teeth at all and wear a full set of dentures then your chances of having problems in your mouth are a lot less than most people. But it doesn’t mean you don’t have to have a check-up at all. The dentist will still need to monitor the soft tissues for signs of fungal infections associated with dentures and monitor any early signs of oral cancer.
  
• Children – Children who have a lot of decay will need to be seen by the dentist on a much regular basis to ensure advice and treatment is being followed and maybe applying fluoride varnish to strengthen the teeth. The health of the baby teeth plays a big factor on the health of the adult teeth when they erupt.

Q. During my check-up, the dentist will probe my gums and shout out some numbers to the nurse. What do the numbers mean?

A. Most people are not aware of what exactly the dentist is checking for apart from the obvious.

The dentist during your check-up assesses your teeth, carries out an oral cancer screening, assesses the health of your gums, assessment of your jaw joint, external checks on your mouth, lips, neck, lymph nodes and more.

When assessing your gums, the dentist will use a special probe which has marking on it. He will place this down your gum to check how far this probe will travel and using the markings on the probe to record a scoring.

The scoring is usually from 0 to 4 in patients. 0 is the best possible health of your gums and 4 is the worst. The further the probe travels down your gums, the unhealthier your gums are. Anything with scoring of 3 or above is considered Gingivitis (gum disease).

Next time you are at your dental visit, listen out for the scoring and you will be able to tell how well your gums are doing.

Remember flossing every day and using the right brushing technique will reduce your chances of getting Gingivitis.

Have a dental dilemma? Synergy Dental will happily answer them for you. For more information, please visit their feature.