The cheapest dental work is the work you never need.

Here’s the ladder: a cleaning costs a fraction of a filling, a filling a fraction of a crown, and a crown a fraction of pulling and replacing a tooth. Each rung adds time, money, and discomfort.

Cleanings remove tartar, the hardened plaque a brush and floss can’t budge. Leave it, and it inflames the gums, opens pockets where bacteria multiply, and eventually leads to gum disease, which in turn leads to bone and tooth loss.

Checkups catch cavities while they’re tiny and early gum disease before it becomes periodontitis. They also build a record of your mouth, so any change stands out right away.

Prevention is easier, cheaper, and more comfortable than repair. Not a pitch, just how teeth work.