Do you need a dentist visit every 6 months? That filling? The data is weak

A 2020 Cochrane review that assessed the two clinical trials concluded that “whether adults see their dentist for a check‐up every six months or at personalized intervals based on their dentist’s assessment of their risk of dental disease does not affect tooth decay, gum disease, or quality of life. Longer intervals (up to 24 months) between check‐ups may not negatively affect these outcomes.” The Cochrane reviewers reported that they were “confident” of little to no difference between six-month and risk-based check-ups and were “moderately confident” that going up to 24-month checkups would make little to no difference either.

Likewise, Nadanovsky and his colleagues highlight that there is no evidence supporting the benefit of common scaling and polishing treatments for adults without periodontitis. And for children, cavities in baby teeth are routinely filled, despite evidence from a randomized controlled trial that rates of pain and infections are similar—about 40 percent—whether the cavities are filled or not.

MonkderDritte, (edited )

Here (Swiss) it’s every year.

corsicanguppy,

it’s all year

What exactly happens continually throughout the year for you?

MonkderDritte,

Spelling errors.

samus12345,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

No, it was spelled right. Just a grammatical error.

paige,

I also remember reading some research which said that time spent flossing is better spent brushing.

Can’t help but wonder if the fillings I got as a kid which need to be replaced every few years were avoidable.

applepie,

Can confirm some bias with a trust me bro here for sure.

Rotting food is what causes most issues with teeth is my understanding for a healthy person.

Depending on how your teeth are spaces, brushing will do fuck all to dislodge the rot. Flossing is the only way to do it for me. Water floss is decent when I am lazy but nothing beats that's string friction.

I floss more regularly than brush

Pretzilla, (edited )

There’s a woman naturalist dentist on YouTube touting xylene chewing gum to repair cavities. Anyone looked into the veracity of her claims?

youtu.be/jUTuXaj1Feg

Beetschnapps, (edited )

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say a random person on YouTube is not worth it compared to dentists consistently telling you the same thing since childhood.

I mean, how do you put this gently… a random YouTube video likely does not have your interests at heart… and if you have a cavity go see a dentist! It can only get worse.

[Brace yourself]

In the states, insurance often requires cleanings at a set schedule before they cover payments.

Fluoride does prevent cavities and doesn’t promote communism.

Losing teeth can hasten mental decline.

All you gotta do is brush your teeth…

MamboGator,
@MamboGator@lemmy.world avatar

This is one of those cases where I invoke my policy of “don’t let the person charging you money for something tell you how often you need to do it.” It’s like companies selling mattresses saying you should replace them every 6-8 years.

Neato,
@Neato@ttrpg.network avatar

I think the 6mo cleanings are the prepare for people who don’t take good care of their teeth. My plan allows for 3/4 cleanings a year if I want them. And some people are a lot more prone.

corsicanguppy,

are the prepare

What?

for people who don’t take good care of their teeth

Genetically, some people have weaker enamel. Economically, your childhood dental care will greatly affect your adulthood needs.

Euphorazine,

Man, just know my dental plan would take a study like this to move to once a year cleanings :(

I like getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist

Sizzler,

It’s like waterboarding to me!

Melkath,

Time before last I had a dental checkup, they said I needed 12 fillings. Didn't schedule the fillings.

Last time I went in for a dental checkup, they said I needed 5 fillings. Didn't schedule the fillings.

It's been 15 years since that, and none of my teeth have gone rotten. None of them have gotten painful.

Coreidan,

Sounds like you need a better dentist.

There are caring legit dentists out there. I know, hard to believe.

Melkath,

I dont deny it.

Shame on me for just existing with okay teeth.

Coreidan,

No reason to have shame. All I’m saying is if you think your dentist is fucking around you should get a better dentist instead of avoiding them your entire life.

There are clear benefits to getting regular checkups. You are blessed that you don’t have any problems. But that can change quickly with age.

You only get one set of teeth and you don’t know what you don’t know.

All it takes is a simple infection to fuck your shit up. Bite wing X-rays allows you to get ahead of issues like that instead of waiting until it’s an issue because by then it’s too late.

TheDoozer, (edited )

You only get one set of teeth

This is demonstrably false.

Edit: I think some people missed my joke. We all (almost all) have a set of teeth that fall out and another set comes in, so it’s just funny that they used the phrase “you only get one…” like we use for eyes, or brain, when we, in fact, end up having the whole set replaced once in our lives.

capital,

One free, permanent set

corsicanguppy,

They’ve encouraged new teeth to form in small animals through inhibiting some gene expression. It’s new, but it’s an exciting niche. Humans are next.

capital,

Shark teeth for humans when?

Pretzilla,

Baby oh baby

givesomefucks,

I feel like there’s a lot of dentists in here mad that a study scientifically showed dental care is drastically over prescribed…

You post an ancedot about how you were over prescribed treatment which aligns with the scientific study’s findings…

And someone immediately tries to tell you it was bad luck you had it happen

And not the norm across various countries like the scientific study found.

corsicanguppy,

If you have mercenary healthcare, they’re gonna want their money.

Neato,
@Neato@ttrpg.network avatar

Some dentists can be very proactive. Mine ID’d 2 small cavities but said if I focus on those areas they will probably not grow and be fine.

My wife’s childhood dentist gave her more than a dozen fillings for small cavities. If you ever get a dentist like that, I’d suggest to get a second opinion.

Don’t fuck around with your mouth health: dentures are not fun and infections there can be lethal. But another check-up won’t hurt if you think something’s off.

mozz,
@mozz@mbin.grits.dev avatar

I KNEW IT

Dkarma,

Takes 6 months to even get an appointment!

WhatAmLemmy,

Further evidence that the privatization of healthcare is incentivized to produce worse outcomes and waste.

iopq,

When has healthcare been privatized?

FunkyMonk,

The 90s? Thats when most of the hospitals here went 'Private Equitized'

otp,

Where’s there?

benni,

This article of a dentist testing other dentists gives some more anecdotal evidence: www.rd.com/article/how-honest-are-dentists/

ReluctantMuskrat,

Great article, and shocking to see the prices mentioned and this at the end: This article originally ran in the February 1997 issue of Reader’s Digest.

ReluctantMuskrat,

But then it also says after that Originally Published: November 18, 2020 Who knows?

givesomefucks,

Exams are beneficial, they can catch issues early.

The unnecessary cleanings are the bad part, teeth aren’t supposed to be bright white, to get them that way we’re often stripping off a protective coating.

Like, if you’re 60+ years old who cares. But doing it for decades adds up and may end up cancelling out benefits from exams.

What looks best just isn’t always the best for long term health.

Montagge,

I don’t get whitening done at my cleaning. Is getting whitening done common?

givesomefucks,

No but when they scrape your teeth. It’s damaging the enamel.

You don’t use a metal spatula or an expensive coated cooking pan, do you?

Enamel doesn’t grow back, every little piece that comes off adds up over decades of 2-3 cleanings a year.

Those are cleanings are still whitening, it’s just not chemical bleaching.

Montagge,

They should only be scraping the tartar not the enamel. I’d put it more like scraping an old gasket off of a car engine. You don’t want to scratch or gouge the metal but you have to remove all of the old gasket.

givesomefucks,

You don’t want to scratch or gouge the metal but you have to remove all of the old gasket.

Except if you do it twice a year since your adult teeth come in, you’re going to have accumulated a lot of scratches by your 40s…

And this isn’t like scratching a gasket where you have to remove the old one so a new one seals better.

Our teeth didn’t evolve to last 80 years, but they evolved to last to our 50s/60s at least.

A hell of a lot more damage is caused by constantly consuming sugary drinks than a little bit of tarter stuck there for an extra 12 months till a cleaning. Hell, with just proper brushing or eating fiberours foods like apples, tartar really shouldn’t be accumulating to begin with.

Like, that’s literally what tartar is…

Just placque that wasn’t removed in a timely fashion and hardens over time.

Montagge,

I’m not sold that the dental tools can unintentionally damage enamel. Also I don’t think a sugar filled apple is going to clean teeth.

givesomefucks,

Source that even “hard” brushing can damage enamel:

Abrasion. This is physical wear and tear of the tooth surface that happens with brushing teeth too hard, improper flossing, biting on hard objects (such as fingernails, bottle caps, or pens), or chewing tobacco.

www.webmd.com/…/tooth-enamel-erosion-restoration

And here’s the source for high fiber foods like apples helping:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6051571/

If you brush too hard you can chip enamel, but apples are too soft/mushy to do so, while still neutralizing cavity forming bacteria.

Now, that study didn’t find that apples removed plaque, but it showed they prevent bacteria causing cavities and more importantly the study also required participants to only use apples as their sole dental hygiene regiment…

And I realize I said:

with just proper brushing or eating fiberours foods like apples, tartar really shouldn’t be accumulating to begin with.

But I never imagined people would think I meant only brushing would be all the dental healthcare they needed.

But man…

After this thread I am fully prepared to say I drastically overestimated my audience.

I can admit that.

corsicanguppy,

fiberours

and yet

After this thread I am fully prepared to say I drastically overestimated my audience.

Mr Dunning, Meet Ms Kruger.

Montagge,

I’ll trust WebMD the day I’m dead.

The study you linked:

In conclusion, chewing an apple does not necessarily have a mechanical plaque removal effect.

So it doesn’t actually help.

corsicanguppy,

Our teeth didn’t evolve to last 80 years, but they evolved to last to our 50s/60s at least.

Incorrect. Evolution doesn’t care about you after your genes have been passed on.

Coreidan, (edited )

Just because they are scraping your teeth with a metal utensil doesn’t mean they are removing enamel. Enamel is a lot harder than you think and lightly scraping it has no effect on it.

Since you’re not a dentist or have any medical training you shouldn’t make such sweeping assumptions.

I’ve been getting cleanings my entire life. My enamel is just fine.

You don’t use a metal spatula or an expensive coated cooking pan, do you?

Non-stick coatings are soft. Enamel isn’t.

Hey did you know enamel is harder than steel? Yup that’s why using a steel scraper on your teeth is fine. It’s why we’ve been doing it for decades without anyone having issues.

Educate yourself for fucks sake. You are incredibly ignorant on this subject. Sounds like you have an extreme phobia and you’re projecting your insecurity on everyone else.

givesomefucks,

Bruh you’re literally in a community called “science” commenting about a study that showed we’re doing way to much dental care for zero benefit…

You’re drastically over estimating how good enamel is too. Like, sure, by some measures it’s the “toughest” part of our bodies, but even brushing too hard can cause small chips.

Those small chips are where placque will form. And that will harden to tartar. And when that’s is scaled, it opens up the risk that the small chip expands, making it more likely tartar develops.

Over decades this adds up.

I mean hell, how rare do you think it is for people to get small chips? The enamel isn’t going to just magically grow back over it

I’ve been getting cleanings my entire life. My enamel is just fine.

I mean. I shouldn’t have to explain why anecdotal experiences on social media aren’t scientific…

And you don’t need to be a dentist to know this stuff, an incredible basic knowledge of material hardness is all you need and what you seem to be missing.

Since you’re not a dentist

Again, you’re literally commenting on an article about a scientific study that found dentists are over prescribing medical treatments that have no benefit so they can make more money…

Yet your saying unless someone is a dentist you won’t listen to them?

Why are you on a science community if you don’t believe in the scientific method over salesmen?

corsicanguppy,

literally

Your cohort is showing.

Coreidan,

deleted_by_moderator

    •
    iopq,

    That’s not what cleanings are for

    givesomefucks,

    I don’t think you understand what cleanings are…

    Likewise, Nadanovsky and his colleagues highlight that there is no evidence supporting the benefit of common scaling and polishing treatments

    Like, if you knew what scaling or polishing meant (actually know, not just heard the words) we wouldn’t be having this issue.

    Or if you asked questions instead of stating sentence fragments, people would probably take more time explaining things to you.

    Coreidan,

    I don’t think you understand what cleanings are…

    It’s painfully obvious through all your comments that you don’t know the first thing about cleanings or dental health.

    corsicanguppy,

    The unnecessary cleanings are the bad part, teeth aren’t supposed to be bright white, to get them that way we’re often stripping off a protective coating.

    Comma splice x2.

    I was legitimately going to ask what you thought needed a source till that second sentence…

    'til ; as in, the abbreviation of ‘until’, and not a plough or a cash-drawer or a boat’s rudder.

    I gave someone else some sources though, feel free to keep lurking, just don’t expect any personal help

    Comma splice x2.

    Or if you asked questions instead of stating sentence fragments, people would probably take more time explaining things to you.

    ‘Sentence fragments’? You may want to step away from the glass house when you lob accusations like that.

    Coreidan,

    teeth aren’t supposed to be bright white

    Dental cleanings don’t make your teeth bright white. Removing tarter doesn’t make your teeth white.

    All a dental cleaning should ever be is tarter removal. If your dentist is whitening your teeth then you need to get a proper dentist.

    But doing it for decades adds up and may end up cancelling out benefits from exams.

    You don’t have the first clue as to what you’re talking about and you’re giving people terrible advice.

    givesomefucks,

    Sorry bud.

    I explained it once, if you’re going to act like this, I’m not putting in more effort to help you just because you spammed replies to every comment in this thread with insults.

    Coreidan, (edited )

    deleted_by_moderator

    •
    stoly,

    Why would you double down here? This is known to be false by everyone present. Learn a new fact and move on with your life.

    givesomefucks,

    Learn a new fact and move on with your life.

    I was legitimately going to ask what you thought needed a source till that second sentence…

    I gave someone else some sources though, feel free to keep lurking, just don’t expect any personal help

    stoly,

    deleted_by_moderator

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