How Often Should You Go to the Dentist?

Most people should go to the dentist for a checkup about every six months to a year, but the right interval for you depends on your gum health, cavity history, general health and habits. People at higher risk may need visits every three or four months, while some adults with stable, healthy mouths can safely go longer between checkups.

Key Takeaways

• The Canadian Dental Association says that for many people, visiting the dentist means an exam every six months, but your dentist may recommend more or less frequent visits.
• A 2020 Cochrane review found little to no difference in decay, gum disease or quality of life for adults between six-month checkups and risk-based intervals. Evidence for children was too uncertain to draw conclusions.
• Gum disease, frequent cavities, dry mouth, smoking, diabetes and pregnancy are common reasons to go more often.
• Cleanings and exams do not always follow the same schedule. People with a history of gum disease often need cleanings more often than full exams.
• Do not wait for your next scheduled visit if you notice pain, swelling, bleeding or a broken tooth.

What is a dental recall interval?

A dental recall interval is the length of time your dentist recommends between routine checkups. It is sometimes called a continuing-care or recare interval. The interval is meant to be long enough that you are not coming in without a reason, and short enough that problems such as decay or gum disease are found before they cause damage.

Setting and reviewing this interval is part of routine general dentistry care. Your recall interval is a clinical recommendation, not a fixed rule. It can change over time as your mouth, your health and your risk change. A person with no cavities in years may be moved to a longer interval, while someone going through cancer treatment or pregnancy may be seen more often for a while.

Why every six months is not a universal rule

The six-month checkup is familiar, and for many people it is still a sensible schedule. The Canadian Dental Association's guidance on regular dental checkups says that for many people this means a dental exam every six months, and that your dentist may suggest more or less frequent visits based on your situation.

What the six-month rule is not is a proven minimum for everyone. A 2020 Cochrane review of recall intervals found little to no difference between risk-based intervals and six-month intervals for adults in tooth decay, gum disease and quality of life over four years. The same review found that intervals of up to 24 months may make little difference for low-risk adults compared with six months. For children and teenagers, the reviewers found there was not enough reliable evidence to say which interval is best.

That research does not mean adults should stretch visits to two years on their own. The studies compared intervals set by a dentist who had assessed risk. The practical message is that frequency should follow your risk rather than the calendar, and your dentist is the person to make that judgment with you.

The table below shows how recall intervals often look in practice. These are illustrations, not prescriptions.

Your situation	Interval your dentist may suggest
Stable gums, no recent cavities, good home care, no major health changes	Every 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer for low-risk adults
Occasional new cavities or some gum bleeding	About every 6 months
History of periodontitis (gum disease with bone loss)	Cleanings every 3 to 4 months, with exams as advised
High cavity risk, dry mouth, or major health changes	Every 3 to 6 months, often with added fluoride
New symptom such as pain, swelling or a broken tooth	As soon as possible, not at the next recall

Risk factors that change how often you should go

According to the Canadian Dental Association, how often you need to see a dentist depends on factors such as your brushing and flossing habits, diet and lifestyle, history of cavities or gum disease, overall health, and how quickly tartar builds up on your teeth. Each of these can push your interval shorter or longer.

Reasons you may need to go more often

• Gum disease. Periodontitis can come back or progress quietly, so maintenance visits are usually closer together.
• Frequent cavities. New decay in the past year or two suggests your risk is still active.
• Dry mouth. Saliva helps protect teeth. Many medications, some medical conditions and radiation treatment to the head and neck reduce it, which raises cavity risk.
• Smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco. Tobacco raises the risk of gum disease and oral cancer and can hide gum bleeding.
• Diabetes and other medical conditions. Health Canada notes that regular checkups are especially important for people with diabetes, heart disease or respiratory illness.
• Braces, bridges, implants or partial dentures. Appliances and complex dental work create more places for plaque to collect.
• Heavy tartar build-up. Some people form calculus quickly even with careful brushing.
• Grinding or clenching. Wear, cracks and loosened fillings are easier to manage when they are caught early.

Reasons you may be able to go less often

• No new cavities for several years.
• Healthy gums with little bleeding and no deepening pockets.
• Stable health, few medications and no dry mouth.
• Consistent brushing with fluoride toothpaste and daily cleaning between teeth.

Lower risk is not the same as no risk. Even people with excellent oral health benefit from periodic exams, because early decay, cracked fillings and oral tissue changes often cause no symptoms.

How often should you get your teeth cleaned?

A teeth cleaning removes plaque and tartar (calculus) that brushing and flossing leave behind, especially along the gumline. How often you need one depends mainly on your gum health and how quickly tartar forms, which is not always the same as how often you need a full exam.

For people with healthy gums, a cleaning is often booked with each checkup, commonly every six to twelve months. People who have been treated for periodontitis usually need periodontal maintenance cleanings more often, often every three to four months, because the bacteria that cause gum disease can re-establish in deeper pockets within a few months.

A cleaning may be done with hand instruments, an ultrasonic scaler such as a Cavitron, or both. If your hygienist notices heavy tartar, bleeding or deeper pockets, they may suggest a shorter cleaning interval or a more thorough periodontal treatment. Our guide to cleaning vs. deep cleaning explains the difference.

How often should children, pregnant people and seniors go?

Babies and children. The Canadian Dental Association encourages parents to have infants assessed by a dentist within six months of the first tooth appearing or by one year of age. After that, children are usually seen regularly so the dentist can follow growth, new teeth, cavity risk and whether sealants or fluoride are needed. Because the Cochrane review found the evidence for children uncertain, most dentists base a child's interval on their individual cavity risk.

Teens. Teens often need attention for wisdom teeth, orthodontic questions, sports injuries and changing diet and habits. Braces in particular make cleaning harder and can justify closer follow-up.

Pregnancy. Hormonal changes in pregnancy can make gums swell and bleed more easily. Health Canada identifies pregnancy as a time when regular checkups are especially important. Tell your dental office you are pregnant, and ask whether an extra cleaning would help.

Seniors. Older adults are more likely to have root-surface decay, gum recession, dry mouth from medications and older fillings or crowns that need monitoring. People who wear full dentures still need periodic exams, because the gums, tongue and other tissues under a denture need checking and dentures change fit over time.

What happens if you go years without seeing a dentist?

Many dental problems develop without pain. Early tooth decay, gum disease and cracks in old fillings often give no warning until they are advanced. According to the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, early decay can sometimes be stopped or reversed with fluoride before it becomes a cavity; once a cavity forms, it needs a filling.

When visits are delayed for a long time, small problems have more chance to grow. A small cavity can reach the nerve of the tooth, gum inflammation can progress to bone loss, and tartar that could have been removed in one visit may need more extensive cleaning. Treatment at that stage is usually longer, more involved and more costly than earlier care would have been.

If it has been years since your last visit, you are not alone, and it is never too late to restart. A first visit back usually includes a full exam, updated X-rays if needed, and a plan that puts pain and infection first. The team should prioritize what needs care now and what can wait, rather than trying to fix everything at once. Our guide to what to expect at a dental checkup walks through a typical appointment.

How dentists set your interval, and how to talk about it

At the end of a checkup, your dentist weighs what they found, your history and your general health to recommend when you should come back. In practice, that decision usually considers:

1. Your cavity history and current signs of decay.
2. Gum measurements and bleeding.
3. Medical conditions and medications, especially those that affect saliva, healing or immunity.
4. Habits and home care, including tobacco, diet and how well plaque is controlled.
5. Existing dental work that needs monitoring.
6. Age and development, for children and teens.

You can take part in that decision. Useful questions include:

• Why this interval for me? The answer should connect to your gums, cavity risk or health.
• What would let me go longer between visits? Sometimes a change in home care or diet can lower your risk.
• Should my cleanings and exams be on the same schedule?
• What should make me call before my next visit?

Be honest about cost or scheduling barriers. A dentist can often help you prioritize so that the most important care happens first. Benefit coverage matters, but it should not be the only factor deciding how often you need care.

Visit frequency and dental coverage in Nova Scotia

Coverage rules sometimes shape how often people book, so it helps to know what applies to you. Many private dental plans set their own limits on how often exams, cleanings and X-rays are covered. Check your plan booklet or ask your insurer, because a covered interval is a billing rule, not a clinical recommendation.

Nova Scotia's Children's Oral Health Program, billed through MSI, covers basic dental care for children aged 14 and younger with a valid Nova Scotia health card. As of 2026, the province lists one routine exam per year, fluoride and some scaling among the covered services, and private insurance must be used first where it applies.

The federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is for Canadian residents who have no access to private dental insurance, have filed their taxes and have an adjusted family net income under $90,000, as of 2026. Canada.ca lists exams, cleanings, fluoride and sealants among the covered preventive services, and co-payments depend on income. Please call Landmark Dental Care to confirm current CDCP participation and billing, and see our CDCP information page for more.

For patients in Truro, Bible Hill and Colchester County, Landmark Dental Care at 125 Queen St offers checkups, new-patient exams and hygiene visits Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. The practice sends text or email appointment reminders, which can help you keep to the interval your dentist recommends.

FAQ

Is it OK to go to the dentist once a year?

For some adults with healthy gums and no recent cavities, a yearly checkup can be reasonable. Your dentist should confirm this after assessing your risk, and you should still call sooner if something changes.

How often should you get your teeth cleaned if you have gum disease?

People treated for periodontitis are often seen for maintenance cleanings every three to four months. The exact interval depends on how your gums respond, so your dentist or hygienist may shorten or lengthen it over time.

Do I need to see the dentist if nothing hurts?

Yes. Early decay, gum disease and cracked fillings often cause no pain until they are advanced. A routine exam can find these problems while treatment is simpler.

How often should kids go to the dentist?

The Canadian Dental Association recommends a first assessment within six months of the first tooth or by age one. After that, most children are seen regularly on an interval based on their cavity risk, which your dentist will recommend.

Does insurance decide how often I should go?

No. Plans set how often they will pay for a service, but your dentist bases your interval on your oral health. If the two differ, ask for an estimate so you can decide with full information.

Next step

If you are not sure when you should next be seen, explore general dentistry at Landmark Dental Care and book an exam so your interval can be set on your own risk. Call 902-893-2919 or contact the office at 125 Queen St, Truro. For the preventive side of care, see our guide to what preventive dentistry is.

References

• Canadian Dental Association: Regular Dental Check-ups
• Canadian Dental Association: Dental Care FAQs
• Cochrane: How often should you see your dentist for a check-up? (2020)
• Health Canada: Smile — Healthy Teeth, Healthy Body
• NIDCR: Tooth Decay
• Government of Nova Scotia: Children's Oral Health Program
• Government of Canada: Canadian Dental Care Plan — What's covered

This article provides general educational information and is not a diagnosis or a substitute for care from a dentist or other qualified health professional.