Not everyone takes the same doses of medication, similarly, hygiene appointments need to be individualized for each patient as well. Patients aren't all at the same risk of developing disease, therefore, many patients need to be seen by their hygienist more often. People have different needs and some people need to be seen every three months, just as others need to be seen every six months. Each and every day new research is showing us more correlations between oral health and general systemic health, so now, more than ever, we need to take initiative to maintain good oral health. Appointments with your hygienists are no longer considered to be just for aesthetic reasons, or to "clean the junk off your teeth", rather to check for cavities, monitor for evidence of disease, perform oral cancer screenings, and offer patient education.