Not many people actually enjoy going to the dentist; but if you want to keep your visits to a minimum, the trick isn't to cancel your appointments and hope for the best. Following these tips will reduce the need for treatment.

Oral hygiene 

Your daily dental routine is the key to avoiding treatment. Brush your teeth twice a day, covering all surfaces of the tooth and taking around two minutes in total. You should also floss once a day to ensure that no particles of food are stuck between the teeth. This routine really is your first protection against tooth decay -- and avoidable dental treatment.

Listen to your dentist

Your dentist is an expert in dental health and can tailor their advice to your own individual needs. Make sure you have a regular checkup -- this can catch problems at an early stage, which will mean that any problems are easier to treat. And make sure you follow any advice that your dentist gives you.

Diet

If you eat a diet high in sugar, you are attacking your teeth every day. Added sugar in food and drink is one of the main causes of tooth decay. The worse the decay, the more intrusive the treatment will need to be. Try cutting down on sugary cakes and biscuits, drinks and desserts to protect your teeth. You should also try to stick to only one glass of fruit juice or smoothie a day (the fruit itself should be fine as the sugar is contained in the fruit's structure).

Cut down

Smoking will stain your teeth and increase your risk of gum disease; alcohol can damage the enamel on your teeth. The two of them together can massively increase your risk of mouth cancer. Cutting down on smoking and drinking can vastly improve your oral health.

Wear a mouthguard

If you play sports, consider wearing a mouthguard. Dentists often find themselves having to fix or reimplant teeth that have been knocked out in sporting accidents. By protecting your teeth, you increase the chance that you will not need dental treatment in the event of a collision.

It may not seem like it, but your dentist would be quite happy only to see you for your regular checkup and send you away with a clean bill of oral health. Follow the advice above, and you will vastly increase the chances of that happening.