One of the most dreaded times of the year for many people revolves around their dentist. The thought of getting that postcard in the mail or the email lin the inbox that says your scheduled tooth cleaning is here brings a lot of anxiety to people. I think that the reason for not liking the dentist goes far beyond just the horror movies, but involves actually mental and physical pain. The idea of spending money to go into a painful situation is something that most people can agree on is not fun. This means that people are simply not going to see their dentist at all and in this day and age where dental insurance can cost as much as a car payment, it makes sense why.

So that begs the question, how many times a year should you go and see a dentist. That is actually very dependent on your own personal health and dental hygiene. We all have different standards for what works best for our bodies. I know that the ADA suggests you do a bi-annual checkup with your dentist. This in theory is a pretty good amount of times and for most people should be enough. Dentists like to see you to save you money a lot of the time. The dental visits are not just to cause you pain but to be preventative.

Preventing dental issues is very important. My own personal thought process is that if I can see a dentist twice a year and it only costs about 200 dollars to due so I may actually be saving money. I mean this because Dentists like to let you know where your mouth is on a health rating. They can let you know if you need to add something to your dental routine in order to avoid a bigger issue down the road. 200 dollars a year may be able to prevent a 2000 dollar surgery the next year. That is a good way to think about dental visits. I also like to have my teeth cleaned by a professional because I don't want to end up getting rid of enamel that is important and not able to be grown back.

But if it's so cost-effective, why do people still not go. That truth is that sometimes dental insurance is too expensive and the cost of out of pocket trips is not worth it to many because they don't feel any pain. That is also why they don't want to go back in the future because they only go to the dentist when there is an emergency. It is a vicious cycle that I completely understand and can't truly blame anyone for.

Don't fix what ain't broke is kinda the saying and many people are fine with only seeing a dentist if they have a major issue. Preventative medicine doesn't fit their bill or their pocketbook and I am not entirely against this. I am a firm believer in that you are in control of your own health and no one should be able to force you to do anything you don't want to. I just want people to know their options and to be able to take care of themselves. I think preventative dentistry is a great thing but I understand those that are not a fan.