It can be difficult in these days of financial hardship to work out how best to spend your family’s precious money. Food has to be put on the table, bills have to be paid and it can be tempting to look upon the six-monthly dental check-up as something of a luxury. However, skipping your regular trips to the dentist could easily become a false economy, as while you save yourself a few pounds on the cost of a check-up, you could face a much larger bill when you develop serious dental health problems in the future.

Most dental check-ups these days also include a scale and polish appointment with a dental hygienist. This is a vital part of keeping your teeth healthy as possible, as there are some parts of  the mouth that are difficult to keep clean no matter how hard we try. The dentist is also a good source of information and advice, especially if you have been having problems cleaning your teeth. They may be able to suggest a particular product that can prevent problems from developing, advice that you won’t hear if you skip your six-monthly check-up to save some money.

Perhaps even more importantly, it is at regular appointments where many potentially serious dental health problems are identified. Anything from tooth decay and gum disease, which could end up with the patient losing teeth if no action is taken, to children who may need orthodontic work, to correcting crooked teeth before they become fixed in position – early identification of all of these problems means they are easier, and therefore cheaper, to fix.

Imagine that a patient decides to skip your scheduled appointment at the dentist, not realising that they are already exhibiting the early signs of gum disease, perhaps because they are not flossing correctly. Soon the problem will become more serious, but by the time there are obvious symptoms, such as pain or bleeding gums, the problem has started to attack the tooth itself. All of a sudden, the cost of the initial missed dental check-up will pale into comparison with the costs of root canal work, false teeth or dental implants to fix a damaged smile. Dental check-ups are an essential expense and appointments shouldn’t be missed if possible.