To think that adults are supposed to go to the dentist too?

I agree, but it's shocking how few NHS dentists there are. I don't know why the government thinks it is acceptable.

I’m amazed by that price as an NHS appointment. Mine is private and normal check up is about £60, last week she did a through cleaning as well and it was £90. I go every 9m- 1y (her recommendation) and about every 3rd appointment she does X-rays which adds to the cost (I think then it’s about £90 for check up and X-rays but it has been 2 years so might have gone up) but I could refuse them if needed.

No they are not. Apart from some very rare syndromes like amelogenesis imperfecta all teeth are the same.

What can be passed down families are poor diet , lifestyle and cleaning choices. Over 90% of dental decay is preventable www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/children-almost-twice-as-likely-to-go-to-hospital-with-preventable-dental-problems-than-for-asthma/

Mine insists on every 6 months and although I’ve had issues in the past I’ve not had work done in years.
I always push the date though, so I’m always busy so it’s more like 7/8 months.

Good teeth are largely genetic, Im mid 50s and have 3 fillings and they were in my 20s.

For the vast,vast majority of people long as you eat or drink something sugary or starchy no more than three times a day then you shouldn’t need a filling (except if you have dry mouth or other mitigating factor ). Keep sugar/starchy food and drinks to meal times and you won’t have a problem.

Unfortunately in the U.K. children eat more than 7 times a day , on average and both adults and children, on average , eat many times the recommended daily amount of sugar . https://www.drwf.org.uk/news-and-events/news/report-on-diet-finds-most-people-in-the-uk-are-consuming-almost-3-times-the-recommended-daily-sugar-intake/

Yes the hygenist at my NHS dentist is 90 quid

about a 15 min appointment as well

I was more reacting to the attitude I hear sometimes that dentistry just stops mattering in adulthood rather than the very real structural barriers that make access difficult

Who on earth is saying that? I don't know anyone whose reasoning for not going to the dentist is because they think it doesn't matter in adulthood.

I am a recovering dental phobic. I've posted about my struggles under this username in case it helps anyone. I didn't go for 30 years. I knew it mattered but I was absolutely terrified. Most people don't understand dental phobia. It's not the nervousness or anxiety that I suspect most people experience to some extent when going to the dentist. It's completely debilitating. Anyway, I overcame it with the help of a fantastic dentist.
I think there are a lot of people who don't go to the dentist because of fear.
I knew perfectly well that it was important to go, I just couldn't. And now I can go and I go once a year because my dentist said with my good oral hygiene I don't need 6 monthly check ups.

The second reason people don't go is because of finances. Again, they know they are supposed to go, but what are they supposed to do if they can't afford it and can't find an NHS dentist who is taking people on. If you move areas you're fucked basically. This happened to a relative of mine who couldn't find an NHS dentist in the area she moved to and it took her 5 or 6 years to be earning enough to afford private treatment.

That's why people don't go.

1. Fear
2. Lack of money

Is your diet low in sugar?maybe you eat once or twice a day only? Very impressive.

I go once a year for a check up. It’s a NHS dentist. I’ve been with them since being a child and continued to go, my children are with the same dentist and go every 6 months

… you’re acting like it should be prescribed in law. Most adults can make their own decisions about their health.

I’ve never had a cavity in 30 years. I go to the dentist every 2 years, every time they say my teeth are perfect and I leave. Why would I go more often when I don’t need to?

No, I go when I need to. It’s about every 5 years. And I always need about two fillings so I get them done.

I don’t have the money to go constantly, I’m paying for private as it’s more expensive for nhs where I live as you have to go every 6 months or you get struck off.

Agree. It’s easier and cheaper to maintain regularly than to fix teeth. I go every 6 months and usually it’s a quick check up and clean. Only once I had a 4 year gap between appointments because life happens and paid ‘000s to fix whatever developed.

The NHS , for many years, has not recommended 6 month check ups for everyone , checks can range from every 3 months to two years , according to risk .

However the recommendations are for a check up every year , by many authorities, because part of a check up is checking for oral cancer. Rates of oral cancer, particularly amongst younger people , are rocketing and more people die every year from oral cancer than cervical and prostate cancer combined.

Also many problems like gum disease and early decay have no symptoms , until they become a big problem, and can only be detected by a dental examination and , possibly, x rays .

However it’s not how often you see the dentist that determines your oral health but what you do inbetween ie what you eat and drink, if you smoke, have diabetes and how well and effectively you clean.

Surely you understand that some people are scared or/ and can't afford it.

After many years of not having one, I finally got registered with an NHS dentist. They do fuck all. I am in and out within 10 minutes each time. I have issues with a few teeth, but they just x-ray and say there are no cavities, so nothing gets done. I am convinced it is because I don't pay at all.

I don't think most people need to go every 6 months.
But just because you've not had trouble doesn't necessarily mean there's nothing wrong. I thought mine were ok after not having been for years, had no pain etc. But I went for a check up and had a couple that needed filling.
Best to catch decay early before needing root canal etc.

I am a little bit sceptical of the recommendation that everyone needs to visit the dentist 6-monthly. I haven’t been in several years (could afford to but just haven’t bothered) and I haven’t had any problems. You don’t go to the GP “just because” - it would either be for a medical reason or for a specific screening program at a fairly drawn out interval - so I do wonder where the suggestion to see the dentist so frequently has come from. I’m somewhat cynical about it tbh.

I'd love to see a dentist but I can't find one, NHS or private. The nearest private dentist accepting new patients is a 7 hour round trip away.

The younger generation are more on, excluding those who have them filed down and covered by ridiculous plastic looking turkey teeth.

I go every 6 months and 4 times to hygienist. Pay £28 a month. Worth every penny

The problem is similar to ireland, as a nation, a lot of us we don't have nice teeth.

Braces are unaffordable to most families. DD's cost nearly 7000 as she required sedation for a lot of the work.
My parents couldn't afford braces, my sister got them as she likes e a rabbit.
I visit the dentist regularly now but my teeth are in shit due to an eating disorder and neglecting them as a child. I have spent a fortune, crawling my way to a healthy mouth. I had implants in the back but can't afford the front 6 for another while.
Dental work on the hse/NHS is limited and hard to find a dentist.

What?! 😱😱

I think every 6 months check up is unnecessarily frequent if you have few problems/take good care of your teeth to be honest. I think once a year is fine. I think I have to go every 6 months though of I lose my place (at a private dentist). Dentistry is expensive, there's basically no nhs dentist availability where I live and many people just can't afford private or nhs.

I love going to the dentist! The only place I get a glowing report on my work lol.