What happens if you don't go to the dentist?

It’s better if you go (the hygienist will find plaque on the cleanest teeth) , but if you’re looking after them properly there shouldn’t be much to worry about.
Crookedness does not result from a lack of dentistry; teeth can and (when they can) will shift with time. This may be corrected by an orthodontist.

It can be a huge problem later in life. Dental restoration such as crowns or implants tend to be very expensive. The earlier a tooth gets treatment the smaller the damage created by dental drills.

When you don’t visit a dentist twice a year in Germany, health insurance pays very little for dental restoration later.

I didn’t take care of my teeth growing up, and now in my 30’s I pay $200–300 every single visit, multiple times a year.

If your boyfriend really does have good teeth, it’s not a big deal until the built-up plaque starts to annoy him. I have great teeth, went 17 years between visits, and after root planing, scaling, and a full cleaning, the dentist said it looked like I had been going regularly.

His teeth will eventually fall out.

it depends. I see genetics at work in our family. Each time I get mine cleaned they say I didn’t need it. I have family members , 3, who have never had a cavity. Nevertheless, once a year we all should have bitewings and a cleaning. IMO.

My heart doctor is always asking me if I go to the dentist (I do). Apparently, unhealthy teeth and gums can be a contributer to heart disease.

You’ll end up looking like Shane McGowan.

Gingivitis, plaque build-up, cavities, bad breath and, eventually your teeth will rot and fall out.

My ex-boyfriend took pretty good care of his teeth (brushed well, but didn’t floss) but for some reason his parents hadn’t sent him to the dentist since elementary school. He finally went at the age of 21 and the dentist found several cavities that may otherwise have eventually ruined his teeth and caused him a lot of pain (not to mention high expenses). Infrequent dental visits, especially as a kid, can result in lots of teeth problems later in life. As a child I always was given fluoride treatments to strengthen my teeth (I think they finally stopped in my late teens) and prevent cavities.

As @filmfann mentioned, poor dental health could contribute to other health problems. If your gums are inflamed and unhealthy, it’s another way a virus can enter your body. Personally, I feel generally happier when I take better care of my teeth; I don’t know if it’s psychological or otherwise, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Dental problems, if left unchecked, can eventually kill you.

Like @filmfann said, nasty stuff from tooth decay can enter your bloodstream and really screw up your cardiovascular system.

I don’t know how common it is, but I actually knew someone who wound up having severe neurological issues (they died) because some kind of dental infection traveled up to their brain.

The dentist sucks ass, but it’s better to go and deal with 30ish minutes of having your mouth fingerbanged than… well… being dead.

Regular dentist visits are often more a form of preventative rather than curative medicine. Even if you take care of your teeth, brush twice a day and floss, there are some problems which can occur, and which can become more serious if not nipped in the bud.

For example, I went for a checkup yesterday, and I brush at least twice a day and floss fairly regularly. After I had my braces removed, I had a permanent appliance installed behind my lower front teeth (basically just a thin wire cemented to my teeth to keep them in place – as I understand, most orthodontic patients who’ve had braces in the last 20 years or so have them), which makes it impossible to floss between those teeth. I had a pretty severe buildup of tartar, which has caused my gums in that area to begin to recede, and now I have exposed root surface there. Not a huge problem, or life-threatening, but it’s something that won’t repair itself and that will likely only get worse as I get older.

Tartar buildup happens even to the most diligent of brushers and flossers, and it really is best to have a dentist or hygienist professionally clean your teeth to remove it before it starts to cause problems.

Even if your boyfriend doesn’t have any pain, it’s possible that he does have cavities which, as others have mentioned, can only get worse with time, and which could lead to severe decay, root canal, or loss of the tooth. Some people seem to think that just because they’ve never had any problems in the past, that means that they don’t need to go to the dentist, but that’s simply not true.

Yeah, it’s not fun or free, but like @Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard said, it’s better to go and deal with the unpleasantness than to have more serious problems crop up later.

Not going to the dentist can make a trip to the denture store a reality.

I havn’t been able to afford going to a dentist in 4 years. I brush regularly and floss, my teeth seem to be fine (not crooked, no pain, maybe a little more yellow than I would like but I am a smoker). I don’t think you need to go multiple times a year or even every few years if you take care of yourself.

Bad dental health is associated with heart disease. Who would have thunk it! If he brushes and flosses everyday, that is great. If there is no bleeding when brushing that is great. But once a year for the cleaning and check up not a bad idea.

If you brush PROPERLY and FREQUENTLY, as well as FLOSS. You can get away with it. I didn’t go for 6 years. When I went for my next visit the dentist told me I had amazing teeth, and not one cavity in those six years . . . But I care for my teeth. Do you?