You know that you are supposed to pay a visit to your dentist every 6 months, depending on your dentist's direct instructions. However, this doesn't stop a lot of people from ignoring their dentist's recommendations and going much longer than they should between visits. Before you make the mistake of going too long without seeing your dentist, you should first understand the reasons why those regular visits are so important. Here are some of the things that are done at your routine dental visits: 

Removal of tartar and plaque

No matter how diligent you are when it comes to brushing your teeth and flossing, there are still areas where you can end up with a buildup of tartar and plaque. These buildups will be found and removed when you are at the dentist for your routine dental visits when you have your teeth cleaned professionally. This alone can significantly decrease your chances of getting cavities, and it can even help to prevent bad breath. 

Find and treat cavities

When you go to the dentist every 6 months, there will be a good chance that the dentist will find cavities while they are still small, so they will be able to quickly and easily fill the cavity for you. The filling will prevent the cavity from getting worse. When cavities get bad, they can be harder to treat and if they get bad enough, then you may be looking at the need to have a root canal or the tooth pulled. 

Prevent gum disease

Tartar and plaque that build up on your teeth can also end up having an effect on your gum tissue, and this can lead to gingivitis, which can eventually lead to gum disease. This means, when you are going in to see the dentist every 6 months, you will also end up preventing gum disease. 

Keep your teeth looking better

There are a lot of ways that going to the dentist regularly will help you to keep your teeth looking better. For one thing, the regular cleanings will help to remove stains and make your teeth look whiter. Also, the fact that cavities will be caught early or prevented completely means that you won't have to worry about them affecting the look of your smile. Also, any other problems can be addressed, such as correcting a gap between your teeth that bothers you or fixing something else you are self-conscious about.