How often should I go to the dentist for cardiovascular reasons?

Every six months for professional cleaning and examination, regardless of whether anything hurts. This frequency is not arbitrary, it is calibrated to the rate at which periodontal biofilm (the bacterial community that drives gum disease) re-establishes after professional disruption. Professional cleaning physically removes subgingival calculus and disrupts the biofilm environment in ways that home brushing and flossing cannot achieve, reducing the bacterial load that drives chronic bacteremia.

For men who have already been diagnosed with periodontal disease and undergone treatment, more frequent maintenance appointments, every three to four months, are typically recommended until the disease is controlled. For men who have never been seen by a dentist in more than two years and have elevated hs-CRP, the first appointment is not a cleaning, it is a full periodontal evaluation and charting. The distinction matters because a standard cleaning without identifying active disease misses the diagnosis. (ADA clinical guidelines on periodontal maintenance, 2023)

Cardiologist's calibrated position, Promising (2) for twice-yearly dental cleaning as cardiovascular prevention. Low-risk, favorable risk-benefit ratio regardless of definitive RCT evidence.

What to do: If you have not been to a dentist in more than a year, the appointment is not optional. Book it this week, not because something hurts, but because you now know what periodontal disease does to your hs-CRP.

For the full picture, read The Appointment You've Been Skipping Is Protecting Your Heart.