Most people are recommended to visit the dentist for a cleaning and exam once to twice a year, depending on their personal oral health needs. Some people manage to get away with going less often than this, but even if you take immaculate care of your oral hygiene, you should consider visiting the dentist more often as you get older. Seniors and the elderly, in particular, should plan on going to the dentist more often, and here's why.

Health Conditions

One of the reasons why you may need to see a dentist more often is because of health conditions that don't directly have to do with your oral health.

For example, many people experience problems like high blood pressure and poor circulation as they grow older. These can pose potential problems for your gums. The gums are very sensitive to changes in blood pressure, and good circulation is necessary in order to give the gums the oxygen that they need. Circulation also helps to rush white blood cells to the area when there's a gum infection underway, helping the immune system to destroy any invading bacteria that could potentially trigger gum disease.

If you already have gum disease, it may be worse for you than a younger person simply because your circulation isn't as good as a younger person's. However, other health conditions and medications can have an impact too, by doing things like triggering dry mouth. If you're not sure if your medication is impacting your oral health, talk to your dentist or doctor.

Worn Enamel

Another problem is that people's teeth simply wear down as they get older. This can be due to a combination of things like grinding your teeth, clenching, or poor oral hygiene. However, it can also simply be a matter of aging.

Dental enamel, the hard exterior of the tooth, is very strong, but it's not invulnerable, as any cavity proves. Simply using your teeth can gradually wear down enamel over many decades. The good news is that this kind of damage can be repaired with dental bonding, a simple and painless procedure. However, doing so relies upon you going to the dentist more often so that they can detect this damage before the health of your teeth is at risk.

Start going to the dentist more frequently now to help ensure that you have a healthy smile in the years to come.

Contact a general dentist near you for more information.