Whilst trips to a dentist are an infrequent thing for the majority of people, they are an essential part of maintaining a healthy mouth and an attractive smile.

Dental practitioners recommend that you have a dental check-up at least every six months. This often means just a routine dental check-up with perhaps a polish and scrape to remove any build-up of plaque.

These regular visits ensure that any potential issues with decay or gum disease can be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Problems not identified until a more advanced stage can require more involved treatment such as a filling or even root canal treatment (endodontics).

Dentists often perform a range of cosmetic treatments such as:

Crowns - Porcelain and metal alloy crowns are used to restore broken teeth.

Tooth whitening - A process that removes discolouration from your own teeth usually involving the use of a bleaching gel and ultraviolet (UV) light.

Dental implants - Used to replace missing teeth by attaching to the jaw bone to act like an anchor to support crowns, dentures and bridges.

Bridges - Dental crowns that are fitted by attaching to existing teeth, effectively bridging over the gap to be filled.

Dentures - Removable, artificial teeth usually held in position by a gum-coloured plastic base.

Veneers - Thin porcelain sleeves that are fitted over existing teeth and held in place by a permanent bond.

Unlike GP's, you don't have to register with a dentist in your local area so you're free to continue seeing the same dentist even if you relocate.

However, if you're relocating within Merseyside and you want to register with a local dentist then no matter whether you're moving to Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley or St. Helens there should be a number for you to choose from.

When you're looking for a new dentist, one of your first lines of enquiry should be with the local Primary Care Trust (PCT) offices as they ought to have the most accurate information about where dentists are located and whether they're accepting new patients.

Just as accurate will be the NHS website which has a section that allows you to search for dentists in a specific area or postcode.

Dentists are businesses just like any other and you'll often find them advertising their services in the popular business directories such as Yellow Pages or Thomson Local.

Not all dentists are the same. Some will be better equipped or perhaps have more experience with a particular type of treatment. Even the cost of treatment isn't standard across different practices.

If you find yourself with a dentist you're not happy with don't be afraid to look for another.

Dental hygiene is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and finding the right dentist doesn't always mean choosing the first one you find. As the patient, the choice is always yours.