Dental check-ups
Routine exams and X-rays that catch problems early and keep your mouth healthy.
- NHS and private
- Same-day emergencies
- Published fees
- One team, three practices
How Often Should You Actually Have a Check-Up?
The standard advice is to have a check-up every six months.
Read more: How Often Should You Actually Have a Check-Up?
For most adults this is right. For some patients more often is right; for a few, less often is acceptable. The right interval depends on your specific risk factors, not on a generic schedule. We tell you what is right for you at the examination, based on what we find.
We provide check-ups under the NHS and privately for both existing and new patients. Both routes are available across our practices.
What Happens in a Check-Up
A dental check-up at Minti Dental Group is more than the dentist looking in your mouth. The 20 to 30 minute appointment covers several distinct examinations.
Read more: What Happens in a Check-Up
The dentist updates your medical history (any new medications, conditions, allergies). External examination of the face, neck, and jaw line. Soft tissue examination of the lips, cheeks, tongue, floor of the mouth, palate, and throat (the oral cancer screening component).
Periodontal examination of the gums with a periodontal probe to check pocket depths around each tooth. Tooth examination for decay, fractures, wear, and the condition of any existing fillings or crowns. Bite assessment for signs of grinding, clenching, or bite imbalance.
X-rays where indicated. Bitewings show decay between teeth and around old fillings that visual examination cannot detect.
Check-Ups Across Minti Dental Group
The same examination pathway runs at Church Langley Dental and Nuffield Dental Practice, with NHS and private routes both available.
Read more: Check-Ups Across Minti Dental Group
Records, X-rays, and treatment history move freely between our practices, so you can switch sites for convenience without any handover friction.
All our practices welcome patients of all ages, including pre-school children for first dental visits, with NHS and private routes available at each. NHS dental care is free for under-18s.
How Often: The Honest Answer
The standard six-monthly interval is set so that any new decay or gum problem is caught while it is still small.
Read more: How Often: The Honest Answer
Decay that takes 12 to 18 months to reach the pulp can typically be detected and filled at the six-month examination before pain develops.
You may need more frequent check-ups if you:
- Have a history of frequent decay
- Have active or recently-treated periodontal disease
- Are on medications that increase oral health risks (some immunosuppressants, certain anti-rejection medications, intravenous bisphosphonates)
- Have eating disorders that affect tooth wear
- Smoke
- Have implants or extensive restorative work
You may safely extend to 12 months if you are:
- A low-risk adult with stable oral health
- Free from active decay or gum problems
- Maintaining excellent home care
- Without major medical risk factors
The decision to extend is made by the dentist based on examination findings, not by the patient. Skipping check-ups for years even when you "feel fine" is the most common reason patients eventually need extensive treatment.
Children should be seen every six months as standard.
NHS vs Private Check-Up
The clinical examination is identical. The differences are practical.
Read more: NHS vs Private Check-Up
NHS check-ups cover the examination, X-rays where clinically necessary, scale and polish where indicated, and the diagnosis. Appointment slots are typically 20 minutes. Free for under-18s, pregnant women, recent mothers, and patients on qualifying benefits.
Private check-ups provide a 30-minute slot rather than 20, allowing more time for discussion, photographs, and broader conversation about preventive care.
Many patients use a hybrid approach: NHS for routine examinations, private for cosmetic or upgrade-tier treatments.
What Examinations Typically Find
Roughly 60 to 70% of routine examinations confirm everything is stable, with only a hygiene appointment recommended afterwards. The remaining 30 to 40% identify something that needs action.
Read more: What Examinations Typically Find
The most common findings are early decay between back teeth (caught on bitewing X-rays before it is visible), small marginal decay around old fillings, gum recession, calculus that needs a scale and polish, and bite issues from grinding that warrant a nightguard.
Less common but more important findings include suspicious soft-tissue lesions warranting urgent referral (we refer rapidly through the NHS pathway when this happens), unusual radiographic findings, and signs of systemic conditions that the patient should discuss with their GP.
What Is Included
We provide NHS check-ups (including X-rays where indicated, and free for exempt categories), private check-ups for existing patients, new patient consultations, and bitewing X-rays.
Read more: What Is Included
We do not have a panoramic (OPG) X-ray machine at our Harlow practices, so if you need one we refer you to Chelmsford, where it costs £50, or Sawbridgeworth, where it costs £100. The fee covers the examination, soft tissue screening, periodontal assessment, and X-rays clinically indicated within the appointment. Treatment beyond the examination is quoted separately.
After the Examination
The dentist explains the findings and gives you a written treatment plan if work is recommended. The plan lists every item, the priority (urgent, soon, watch), the time needed, and the fee.
Read more: After the Examination
Urgent items are scheduled within days or weeks. Routine items within weeks. Watch items are reviewed at the next examination. We do not over-treat watch items; some early decay reverses with good home care and fluoride exposure.
If you decide to defer recommended treatment for any reason, tell us. We can usually offer phasing, alternatives, or NHS routes. We do not pressure patients.
Dental Check-Ups for Harlow Patients
Minti Dental Group runs two practices in Harlow for routine check-ups: Nuffield Dental Practice in the town centre, and Church Langley Dental on the east side of town. Check-ups are available on the NHS and privately, and NHS dental care is free for under-18s.
Local and Routine
A six-monthly check-up is two short visits a year. Records and X-rays move freely between both practices, so you can switch sites for convenience without any handover. Where families register together, we book everyone on the same morning. If you have not seen a dentist in years, the first appointment can be just a chat before any examination.
The Full Detail
For what a check-up actually covers, how often you really need one, and what examinations typically find, see our dental check-up page. Nearer Enfield? Book a check-up in Enfield.
Dental Check-Ups for Enfield Patients
Enfield Smiles is part of Minti Dental Group and provides routine check-ups for patients across Enfield.
Read more: Dental Check-Ups for Enfield Patients
Check-ups are available on the NHS and privately. NHS dental care is free for under-18s, and registration is not catchment-bound, so you can register with us wherever you were seen before.
A six-monthly check-up is two short visits a year, a few minutes from Enfield rail station on the Greater Anglia line. We see patients from Enfield Town, Bush Hill Park, Edmonton, Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, and across the EN postcodes. If you have not seen a dentist in years, the first appointment can be just a chat before any examination.
For what a check-up actually covers, how often you really need one, and what examinations typically find, see our dental check-up page. Closer to Harlow? Book a check-up in Harlow.
Practices Offering Dental check-ups
Nuffield Dental Practice
110–111 The StowHarlowEssex CM20 3AS01279 424 038Church Langley Dental
First Floor, Florence Nightingale Health CentreHarlowEssex CM17 9TE01279 306 690Enfield Smiles
195 High StreetEnfield EN3 4DZ020 8804 4320
Frequently Asked Questions
Book a Check-Up
If you are due for a check-up, registering as a new patient, or returning after a long break, book online or call.
- Nuffield Dental Practice (Harlow): 01279 424 038
- Church Langley Dental (Harlow): 01279 306 690
- Enfield Smiles (Enfield): 020 8804 4320