This advice originally came from an old toothpaste ad. There was no science behind it, and there still isn’t. A 2003 review looked at 29 studies and found no conclusive evidence supporting a need to go every 6 months. If your choppers (and gums!) are healthy, once a year is enough to catch any developing problems, says James Bader, D.D.S., M.P.H., a research professor at the University of North Carolina school of dentistry.
Just don’t wait longer than that: A study presented at the American Heart Association meeting last year found that having your teeth cleaned by a professional once a year lowers your risk of heart attack by 24 percent and stroke by 13 percent.
