How often should I go to the dentist?

The general rule

Visit your dentist for a check-up and clean once every six months.

That is the starting point. The right interval for you may be shorter or longer, and the reasoning behind that is more useful than the default.

Where “six months” comes from is worth knowing, and the honest answer is that no authority we can find publishes it. The Australian Dental Association's Policy Statement 2.2.3 on Oral Hygiene (amended October 2025) lists four main oral hygiene strategies, and the fourth is to “visit a dental professional for regular check-ups and professional cleaning.” Note the word it uses: regular. Not six-monthly, not annually — no number at all.

That absence is deliberate rather than an oversight, and it is the whole argument of this page. Six months is a convention. We have searched our library of independent sources — regulators, professional bodies, Cochrane reviews and peer-reviewed literature — and none of them sets an interval for adults. What the ADA does say is that the check-up should happen regularly and that it should include professional cleaning. The interval itself is a clinical judgement about you, which is why the table below matters more than the headline.

Why prevention rather than repair

In dentistry, as in many areas of health, prevention is better than cure.

The specific problem: people often do not become aware of conditions such as decay, gum disease and oral cancer until there are visible signs or pain. By then the problem has usually reached an advanced stage.

This is worth being concrete about. Decay is painless until it approaches the nerve. Gum disease is painless through most of its course — bone is lost without discomfort, which is what makes periodontal disease so easy to miss. Early oral cancer is typically painless. In all three, pain is a late signal, not an early one.

The third of those has the starkest published consequence. Writing in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' publication, the authors of its oral cancer training module record that oral cancer carries a relatively low five-year survival rate, at around 50%, mostly due to diagnostic delays. Oral Health Victoria makes the same point from the service side: it attributes oral cancer's low survival “largely due to delayed presentation or diagnosis”, which is why the Victorian Government's 2016–20 Cancer Plan established a dedicated Oral Cancer Screening and Prevention Program.

That is the single strongest argument for attending when nothing hurts. The examination is looking for something whose outcome depends almost entirely on when it is found.

Regular visits detect early signs and reduce the need for more involved treatment. A cavity found on a bitewing X-ray is a filling. The same cavity found when it starts to ache may be a root canal treatment and a crown.

The asymmetry that makes the argument

What is lost is not recoverable, and what it costs escalates at every stage.

The entire value of a check-up sits in the top and fourth rows — the two stages that still reverse, and the two that produce no symptoms whatsoever.

The top row has a published lever behind it. The National Health and Medical Research Council's 2016 review of water fluoridation found it reduces tooth decay by 26 to 44% in children and adolescents, and by about 27% in adults — which is the population-scale version of what fluoride is doing when an early lesion is watched and remineralised rather than drilled.

When six months is not the right interval

Only your dentist can accurately assess your oral health status, and may recommend more or less frequent visits.

Both ends of that table are useful. All three rows are this practice's clinical guidance, not published intervals — for the reason set out above, nobody publishes any.

Three months is not an upsell. For someone with active periodontal disease, the bacteria in a treated pocket repopulate over roughly three months — the interval is chosen to match the biology, not the calendar. (That repopulation figure is long-standing clinical teaching that we have not been able to trace to a source in our library; treat it as the reasoning behind the interval rather than a measured number.)

Twelve months is a genuine option, and it is worth knowing that a practice will say so. A recall interval should follow from your risk, not from a standard reminder system.

Diabetes appears in that first row for a specific reason, and this one is sourced. Diabetes Australia states that “there is increasing evidence of a two-way relationship between periodontitis and diabetes” — the relationship runs in both directions. Poorly controlled blood glucose worsens gum disease, and gum disease makes glucose harder to control. Diabetes Victoria adds that people with diabetes who have developed other complications, such as neuropathy, can be more likely to develop oral complications. See diabetes and oral health.

What actually raises your risk

Ask about a shorter interval if any of these apply:

• A history of frequent fillings, or decay found at most visits
• Any diagnosed periodontitis — this is lifelong maintenance, and the interval is usually three- or four-monthly for good
• Smoking or vaping — the largest modifiable risk factor for gum disease, and it masks the warning sign by reducing bleeding
• Dry mouth, from medication, medical conditions or previous head and neck radiotherapy
• Diabetes, or another condition affecting immune response
• Pregnancy, which commonly brings gum inflammation
• Orthodontic appliances, implants, or extensive crown and bridge work
• Gum recession and exposed root surfaces, which decay more readily than enamel and are a common cause of sensitivity
• Limited dexterity making effective home cleaning difficult
• Reflux or frequent vomiting, adding direct acid and driving erosion

On pregnancy, one finding is worth acting on before rather than during. An ADA survey of 25,000 Australian adults found that 75% of women did not have a dental check-up before conception — which the ADA flags as significant because poor oral health in pregnant mothers is associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes, including low birthweight babies. If a pregnancy is being planned, the appointment belongs in the planning.

And ask about a longer one if: you have had no new decay for years, no gum disease, you clean between your teeth thoroughly every day, you brush twice daily, you do not smoke, and you have no medical condition on the list above. That conversation is entirely reasonable to start.

Radiographs are a separate interval

X-ray frequency is decided independently of check-up frequency, on the same risk basis. A low-risk adult may have bitewings every two years or longer; someone with active decay may need them annually.

Decay between the teeth is invisible to the naked eye — a visual examination alone cannot find it, which is why radiographs are taken at all. They are also not taken at every visit as a matter of routine, and “do I need X-rays this time, and why?” is a fair question with a clear answer.

On the exposure, the International Atomic Energy Agency gives typical effective doses of 1–8 μSv for an intraoral dental x-ray, 4–30 μSv for a panoramic examination, and 50 μSv or below for CBCT of a small or medium volume, rising to about 100 μSv for a large volume. The IAEA also cautions that effective dose “should not be applied to individuals” but is useful for comparing techniques and sources of exposure — so it is a reason not to over-interpret any single number, in either direction. See How safe are dental X-rays? and when they become unsafe.

What a check-up should actually include

If you have only ever had a quick look and a scale, it is worth knowing what a thorough examination covers:

• The teeth — decay, cracks, wear, and the condition of existing restorations
• The gums, with periodontal probing depths recorded around the teeth and compared with last time. This is the measurement that detects gum disease before you feel anything, and it should be done and recorded, not eyeballed.
• A soft-tissue and oral cancer check — tongue, floor of mouth, cheeks, palate, throat, and the neck and jaw
• The bite, jaw joints, and signs of grinding
• Radiographs where indicated
• A risk assessment and a plan, including your next interval

Ask what your probing depths are and whether they have changed. It is the single most informative question available to a patient, and the answer is a set of numbers rather than an opinion.

One reason to ask specifically about the soft-tissue check: Dental Health Services Victoria launched an Oral Cancer Learning Hub in 2021 to help oral health professionals recognise and refer suspected oral cancers at an early stage, and the RACGP launched its own oral cancer module for GPs in November 2023. Both exist because early lesions are missed. It is a reasonable thing to ask to have done, and to have described to you.

Should you see a hygienist as well as a dentist?

A hygienist is the best person to see for your six-monthly clean.

They focus on maintaining gum health and preventing conditions such as decay and erosion, and work with your dentist to look after your oral health.

The division of labour is practical: the hygienist has the appointment time and the specific training for thorough cleaning, periodontal measurement and technique coaching, while the dentist examines, diagnoses and treats. Most patients see both — the difference between the two roles is worth understanding before you book.

A hygienist appointment is not a substitute for an examination, and an examination without a clean leaves the calculus in place. They are two halves of the same visit — and notably, the ADA's own wording pairs them: “regular check-ups and professional cleaning.” What to expect at a hygienist visit.

If it has been years

Worth addressing, because a great many people reading this have not been for a long time and the gap itself has become the obstacle.

Nobody who works in dentistry is surprised or judgmental about a long gap. It is extremely common, and the reasons — cost, fear, embarrassment, time — are all ordinary.

How common is measurable. A submission to the Commonwealth Parliament's inquiry into the value and affordability of private health insurance cites an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare survey finding that nearly a third of people aged 5 or older — 32% — avoided or delayed visiting a dentist due to cost. That figure dates from 2013 and appears in an advocacy submission arguing for a national dental fee schedule, so read it as an indication of scale rather than a current measurement. It is still roughly one person in three.

The first appointment back is usually just a look, some radiographs, and a plan. Treatment does not have to start that day, and a plan can be staged over months or across two benefit years to spread the cost — the Price Guide gives you a sense of the numbers before you ring. If fear is the obstacle, say so when you book — options range from a conversation in a room with no dental chair through to sedation. Dental Anxiety

Payment plan options are available. Where a plan is advertised as interest free, that describes the plan term only — a deposit may be required, an establishment fee and ongoing account fees may apply, and charges can apply if the balance is not cleared within the agreed period. The applicable terms depend on the provider and the amount financed, and are set out in writing before you commit — ask what the deposit and the establishment fee are, in dollars, and what the total will be by the end. Payment Plans.

The longer the gap, the more the top rows of that first table have been passed — which is an argument for going now rather than for continuing to wait.

Between appointments: reasons not to wait

• Gums that bleed when brushing or flossing
• A tooth that is sensitive, aching, or tender to bite on
• A chip, a crack, or a filling that has come out
• A loose tooth, or teeth that have shifted
• Persistent bad breath or a bad taste
• Any ulcer, lump, or white or red patch lasting more than two weeks — this should be examined promptly
• Facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or fever with dental pain — a medical emergency; present to an emergency department or call 000. For anything urgent short of that, see Emergency Dentistry

Common questions

Is six months actually the right interval, or just a habit?

It is a convention, and we would rather say so. No independent source in our library — not the ADA, not the NHMRC, not Cochrane — sets a check-up interval for adults. The ADA's own list of main oral hygiene strategies says only “visit a dental professional for regular check-ups and professional cleaning.”

What that means practically: six months is a reasonable default for someone at average risk and nothing more than that. If you have had no new decay for years, clean between your teeth daily, do not smoke and have no relevant medical condition, twelve months is a legitimate conversation to start. If you have active gum disease, three or four months is matching the interval to the disease.

The question to ask is not “when is my next check-up?” but “what is my risk, and what interval does that justify?” A practice that cannot answer the second is running a reminder system rather than a risk assessment.

Why should I come if nothing hurts?

Because pain is a late signal in all three of the things being looked for. Decay is painless until it nears the nerve. Gum disease is painless while bone is being lost. Early oral cancer is typically painless.

The oral cancer figure is the one that should settle it: writing in the RACGP's publication, the authors of its oral cancer module record a five-year survival rate of around 50%, mostly due to diagnostic delays, and Oral Health Victoria attributes the low survival “largely due to delayed presentation or diagnosis.” Nothing about that outcome depends on whether you had symptoms — it depends on when someone looked.

What should I ask at the appointment?

Three questions, in order of how much they tell you:

1. “What are my probing depths, and have they changed since last time?” This is a set of numbers, not an opinion, and it detects gum disease before you feel anything.
2. “Do I need radiographs this time, and why?” X-ray frequency is a separate judgement from visit frequency, and it should be based on your decay risk rather than taken automatically.
3. “What interval do you recommend for me, and what would change it?” That is the answer this whole page is about.

Also worth asking to have the soft-tissue and oral cancer examination described as it is done — tongue, floor of mouth, cheeks, palate, throat, neck and jaw. It is quick, and it is easy to leave out.

I have diabetes. Does that change how often I should come?

Probably yes, and the reason is well established. Diabetes Australia states that “there is increasing evidence of a two-way relationship between periodontitis and diabetes” — each makes the other harder to manage. Diabetes Victoria adds that people who have already developed other diabetes complications, such as neuropathy, can be more likely to develop oral complications.

That two-way relationship is why diabetes sits in the three-monthly row of the table above, and why it is worth telling your dentist how well controlled your glucose is rather than just naming the diagnosis. It also works the other way: treating gum disease is part of managing diabetes, not a separate errand. See diabetes and oral health.

I am planning a pregnancy. When should I go?

Before, if you can. An ADA survey of 25,000 Australian adults found 75% of women had no dental check-up before conception — and the ADA flags that as a real gap, because poor oral health in pregnant mothers is associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes including low birthweight babies.

Pregnancy itself commonly brings gum inflammation, so a mouth that starts healthy has less distance to travel. Dental care during pregnancy is not off-limits, but it is easier to have done what is needed beforehand. See having a dental check-up when pregnant.

It has been years and I am worried about the cost. What actually happens?

A look, usually some radiographs, and a plan — and treatment does not have to start that day.

You are also very far from unusual. A submission to the Commonwealth Parliament's private health insurance inquiry cites AIHW data that 32% of people aged 5 or older avoided or delayed seeing a dentist because of cost (a 2013 figure, quoted in an advocacy document, so treat it as scale rather than a current measure). Roughly one person in three.

What helps in practice: ask for the plan to be staged, urgent first and the rest reviewed; ask whether it can span two benefit years to use two annual limits; and say the constraint out loud — a practitioner who knows about it can plan around it, and one who is never told cannot.

How often should my children go?

More regularly than most do. The same ADA survey found that of children who had seen a dentist, 29% had a check-up in the last 12 months, 58% every 12 to 24 months, and 9% only went when there was a problem. That last group is the concerning one, and it is the pattern that produces the ADA's other finding: 34% of Australian children aged 5–6 have experienced decay in their primary teeth, and 27% of 5–10 year olds have untreated decay in them.

The ADA's guidance is that the first visit should be when the first tooth comes through or by the age of one, whichever comes first — earlier than most parents expect, and largely about familiarity rather than treatment. See Children's Dentistry.

What you get from one location

Smile Solutions is in the heart of Melbourne, which suits city workers, and it houses dentists, hygienists and specialists in the one building — so seeing multiple clinicians does not mean travelling between practices or repeating your records. See Everything under one roof and Location.

Related reading

What does a dental hygienist do? · Is flossing really that important? · What a cavity actually is · What is gum disease? · General Dentistry · Contact Us

Practical details

Written by Dr Madeleine Hoopmann.

Smile Solutions, Level 1, 220 Collins Street, Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne VIC 3000. Phone 13 13 96, or theteam@smilesolutions.com.au. Monday–Friday 8.00am–6.00pm, Saturday 8.30am–1.30pm, Sunday by appointment.

Registration for any practitioner can be verified free on the AHPRA public register at ahpra.gov.au.

Published 5 February 2018. Sourced against Australian Dental Association Policy Statement 2.2.3 — Oral Hygiene (October 2025), ADA consumer survey data, Diabetes Australia and Diabetes Victoria on the periodontitis–diabetes relationship, the RACGP and Oral Health Victoria on oral cancer survival and diagnostic delay, the NHMRC 2016 water fluoridation review, IAEA dental dose figures, and AIHW cost-barrier data as cited in a submission to the Commonwealth Parliament.

General information only — it is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, a quote or a promise of any particular clinical outcome, and it does not replace advice from your treating practitioner. Recall and radiograph intervals vary between individuals and are determined by clinical assessment; the intervals described here are this practice's general guidance and no independent authority in our sources publishes an interval for adults. Your practitioner's recommendation for you takes precedence. Regular attendance reduces the risk of problems developing undetected; it does not guarantee that none will. Nothing here is medical advice — conditions such as diabetes are matters for your treating medical practitioner. Payment plan terms are set by the credit provider and change; confirm current terms directly before you commit.

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