Most people assume a dental check up is a six monthly fixture. It is not a rule, and for many adults with healthy mouths it is more often than necessary. The official guidance is more personal than that.
What the guidance actually says
NICE, which sets clinical guidance for the NHS, recommends that the gap between check ups is based on your individual risk, not a fixed calendar:
- Adults: anywhere from 3 months to 24 months
- Under 18s: anywhere from 3 months to 12 months
Your dentist sets the interval after assessing your teeth, gums, diet, smoking, medical history and how well you look after your mouth. A healthy adult with no fillings in years may be told two years. Someone with gum disease, a high sugar diet, dry mouth from medication, or a history of decay may be asked back every three or four months.
Why it matters for your wallet
On the NHS, every check up is a Band 1 charge of £27.90. Going every six months when you have been assessed as low risk costs you an extra £27.90 a year for no clinical benefit. Privately, at a typical £65 a visit, the difference is bigger. On the other side, stretching a three month recall to a year because you feel fine is how small problems become Band 3 crowns.
The sensible approach is to ask your dentist directly: "What recall interval are you putting me on, and why?" If the answer is six months by habit rather than by assessment, it is fair to ask again.
Signs you should go sooner than your interval
- Bleeding gums that do not settle within a couple of weeks of better brushing
- Sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet things that is new or getting worse
- A chipped or cracked tooth, or a filling that has come out
- Persistent bad breath or a bad taste
- Any lump, ulcer or white or red patch in the mouth that lasts more than three weeks, which needs checking promptly
Hygienist visits are separate
A hygienist appointment is not the same as a check up. Many people benefit from hygiene visits more often than they need to see the dentist, and you can see a hygienist directly without a dentist referral. On the NHS a scale and polish is included in your band when it is clinically needed; privately it is typically around £83.
The short version
See the dentist as often as your dentist tells you to, which is based on your risk, and could be anything from three months to two years. The six month habit is neither a minimum nor a maximum.
This is general information, not clinical advice.