Everything else works better when this one is kept.

A regular examination is the single most useful thing you can do for your mouth, and it is a good deal more than a quick count of your teeth.

A full examination by a dentist or hygienist, which normally covers:

• Your medical history and anything that has changed
• The teeth, the gums, the bite and the soft tissues
• X-rays, where there is a reason to take them
• A screen for oral cancer, gum disease and decay

Finding cavities is the least of it. The point is spotting things while they are still cheap and painless to deal with.

Gum disease and enamel wear are both effectively silent until they are advanced. By the time something hurts, the options have usually narrowed and the cost has usually gone up. A regular examination gives you:

• Small problems caught while they are still small
• Advice on brushing, cleaning between teeth and diet that fits your own habits
• An accurate picture of where things stand, rather than a guess

Teeth feeling fine is not the same as teeth being fine.

Most adults and children do well on a check-up every six to twelve months. If you smoke, have diabetes, have ongoing dental problems or a family history of gum disease, we may suggest seeing you rather more often.

At Orford Hill we set your recall interval around you, not around the calendar.

Depending on what turns up, we might suggest:

• A hygiene appointment for a scale and polish
• A filling, crown or other restoration
• Cosmetic options, if that is something you have raised
• Simply keeping an eye on something and reviewing it next time

The aim throughout is to keep your own teeth in your own head for as long as possible. Everything else follows from that.