Ideally, your teeth will feel fine throughout your lifetime. The chances of avoiding unpleasant, painful dental problems are much better when you maintain six-month recall visits regardless of how your teeth feel. The truth is, you can have the beginnings of a cavity or gum disease without any pain, and with very subtle indications. Staying up-to-date with dental exams and cleanings gives you the opportunity to catch these problems before they become symptomatic. In doing that, the degree of reparative care you may need could be much less than it would be if you let pain guide your motivation to see the dentist.