How often should you see a dentist? Dental check-ups: what they include, how often and what the NFZ covers

How often should you see a dentist according to the guidelines?

The interval between dental check-ups should follow from an assessment of the mouth and the risk of dental disease, not from a fixed calendar. That is the first recommendation of the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its guideline CG19, which NICE reviewed again in 2020 and left unchanged.

NICE sets limits: the shortest routine interval for everyone is 3 months, the longest for people under 18 is 12 months, and for adults 24 months. NICE considers longer gaps undesirable, because the relationship with the dentist may weaken and the patient’s lifestyle changes over that time.

In children and adolescents the upper limit is shorter, because tooth decay can progress faster in them than in adults, and faster in milk teeth than in permanent ones, while the developing dentition needs periodic assessment. The guidelines provide for intervals of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months in children and from 3 months up to 24 months in adults.

How often to have a dental check-up: intervals by risk

How many months to leave between dental check-ups depends on whether dental and gum disease is active. According to NICE, for people who have repeatedly shown that they maintain good oral health, the interval can be gradually extended to 24 months, and for those with ongoing disease activity it can be shortened, combined with more intensive prevention.

The interval is not set once and for all: the dentist discusses it with the patient, records it and reviews it at the next visit. NICE also notes that no interval, including six months, guarantees that new disease will not develop between visits, which is why a significant change in health or habits is a reason to come in sooner.

Is a check-up every six months necessary? What the research says

Research does not confirm that a fixed six-month interval gives better results than an interval set according to risk. A 2020 Cochrane review, based mainly on the UK INTERVAL trial with 4 years of follow-up in adults, found with high certainty little or no difference in tooth decay, gum bleeding and quality of life between the two approaches.

A check-up every 24 months compared with every 6 months probably also made little difference to tooth decay and gum bleeding (moderate certainty). In children, the comparison of 12-month and 24-month intervals remains uncertain.

The participants in these studies saw a dentist regularly, so the conclusion is not that check-ups are unnecessary. It only means that a person with healthy teeth and gums does not need a visit every six months as a matter of principle, and a person with active disease may need one more often.

What does a dental check-up include?

A dental check-up includes questions about your health, an examination of the teeth, gums and the whole mouth, preventive advice and setting the date of the next visit. This is how NICE and the UK’s NHS describe it, and the Delivering better oral health (DBOH) guidance adds elements that should be part of every such visit.

• Medical history: general health, medicines taken, changes since the last visit.
• Examination of the teeth: decay, the condition of fillings, crowns and other restorations, wear and cracks.
• Gum assessment: in adults with teeth, a basic periodontal examination (BPE), and in children from the age of 7 a simplified version.
• Visual and manual examination of the mouth, face and neck at every visit, including for signs of cancer.
• X-rays only when they are indicated, at a frequency that depends on the risk of tooth decay.
• Advice on hygiene, diet, fluoride, smoking and alcohol.
• Agreeing when the next check-up is due, from 3 months to 2 years, and up to 1 year in children.

A child’s dental check-up: from when and how often?

A child’s first dental check-up should take place within 6 months of the first milk tooth coming through, and no later than at 12 months of age. This is the recommendation of the Polish Society of Paediatric Dentistry, and the NFZ funds preventive visits at 6, 9 and 12 months of age and in the second year of life.

According to NICE, further check-ups in children and adolescents should be no less frequent than every 12 months. Children up to the age of 6 are also entitled on the NFZ to an adaptation visit, not combined with treatment, which helps them get used to the dental surgery; more about preparing for it is in the article on a child’s first visit to the dentist.

Dental check-ups on the NFZ: what are you entitled to?

On the NFZ you are entitled to a dental examination with hygiene instruction once per calendar year and 3 follow-up examinations a year, both as an adult and as a child or adolescent up to 18. Women who are pregnant or in the postnatal period are entitled to a follow-up examination no more often than once a quarter.

X-rays may be added to a check-up: adults are entitled to up to 2 intraoral X-rays a year, and children and adolescents to up to 5. Tartar removal is a separate service, available once per calendar year, and during pregnancy and the postnatal period no more often than every 6 months.

No referral is needed to see a dentist who has an NFZ contract, and a patient in pain is entitled to help on the day they come in. The legal basis is the Minister of Health’s regulation on guaranteed dental treatment services (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 615), as in force on 12 October 2026.

When should you see a dentist before your check-up is due?

It is worth seeing a dentist sooner than your agreed interval if one of the following symptoms appears. Swelling of the face or neck that makes it difficult to breathe, speak or swallow needs help at a hospital emergency department (SOR) or via the emergency number 112.

• Toothache that lingers after a cold or hot stimulus, or pain on biting, which may mean a cracked tooth.
• Swelling of the gum or face near a tooth, even without severe pain.
• Gums that bleed when brushing despite careful hygiene.
• A mouth ulcer that has not healed for more than 3 weeks; contact a dentist or doctor.
• A chipped filling, a broken tooth or a loose crown.
• A significant change in health or habits that may change the risk of dental disease.

How much does a private dental check-up cost?

The cost of a dental check-up depends on whether X-rays are needed and whether the visit also includes a treatment plan. Professional teeth cleaning, which often accompanies a check-up, is a separate procedure with its own price.

In the clinic’s price list, “Badanie stomatologiczne” (dental examination) costs 200 zł and “Konsultacja stomatologiczna” (dental consultation) 300 zł. A “Wizyta bez bólu” (visit without pain), which includes a panoramic X-ray, a consultation, an examination and a written treatment plan, costs 300 zł. “Pantomogram” (panoramic X-ray) is 120 zł, “Zdjęcie wewnątrzustne” (intraoral X-ray) 60 zł and “Kompleksowa higienizacja (skaling, piaskowanie, fluoryzacja)” (complete hygiene treatment: scaling, air polishing, fluoride) 350 zł. The final scope and cost are agreed at the visit, and prices may change.

What a first visit at DentalBlue looks like

At DentalBlue in Białystok, a first visit can start in two ways. A visit without pain includes a panoramic X-ray (pantomogram) in the clinic’s own radiology unit, an examination and a consultation with the image already on screen, and a written treatment plan with the prices of each stage, before anything is agreed. A visit in pain includes a panoramic X-ray, a consultation, an examination and pain relief. The clinic is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays from 8:00 to 16:00, and conversations are possible in Polish, English, Ukrainian and Russian.