How Often Do You Really Need a Dental Check-Up?

Ask most people how often they should see a dentist and they'll say every six months. It's a reasonable default — but modern guidance is more personal than that. Your recall interval should reflect your individual risk: your gum health, decay history, diet, smoking status and how well your daily routine is working.

A proper examination is far more than 'a quick look'. At our practice it covers every tooth surface and existing restoration, a gum assessment with pocket measurements, a soft-tissue and oral cancer screen of the tongue, cheeks and throat, a bite check, and X-rays where clinically justified — never routinely.

You leave with a written record of what we found and, if anything needs attention, an itemised plan with exact prices. Nothing is done on the day without your agreement, and 'no treatment needed' is a result we're always happy to deliver.

Almost everything that goes wrong in a mouth is cheaper and simpler to fix early. A small area of decay caught at a check-up needs a modest filling; the same decay left for three years may need root canal treatment and a crown. Gum disease detected early responds well to hygiene care; detected late, it may already have cost you bone that doesn't grow back.

The maths is stark: a £95 examination twice a year is a fraction of the cost of a single molar root canal and crown — and that's before counting the discomfort and appointments involved.

New patients pay £30 for their first consultation at our Wimpole Street practice, and £49 for their first hygienist visit. After that, examinations are £95 and hygiene visits £89. Late Tuesday and Thursday evenings and weekend appointments mean a check-up doesn't have to mean time off work.

This article is general information, not personal clinical advice. For a diagnosis and a plan tailored to you, book a consultation with a GDC-registered dentist.