We've all had it hammered into our heads that we should see the dentist once every 6 months for regular checkups. But if we all followed that advice down to a T, we'd be walking around with holes in our pockets as cheap dentists in Singapore aren't exactly easy to come by.

If you're taking particularly good care of your teeth, you can stretch it to once in 18 months or 2 years. However, it pays to visit regularly as you want to catch problems like tooth decay early. Let them fester and they'd cost a lot more to solve.

So there's no way around it - you should see a dentist regularly to do a basic check-up and teeth cleaning (scaling & polishing). Here are 10 of the most affordable dental clinics in Singapore where you can do that.

CHEAP DENTISTS IN SINGAPORE - 10 MOST AFFORDABLE DENTAL CLINICS

SINGHEALTH & NHG POLYCLINICS

You don't really need to go to a dental clinic if you're just looking for a simple check-up and scaling & polishing job. Both SingHealth and National Healthcare Group polyclinics have dental services, and it's easy to make an appointment online so you don't spend all day waiting in line.

Polyclinics usually charge the consultation fee and scaling & polishing as 2 separate items. For Singapore citizens, consultation starts from $15.80 to $89.50 (adults) or $7.80 to $52.80 (children). Going to the dentist doesn't get any cheaper than that!

PRs get a subsidised rate, too, but consultation begins at $8.

LOCATIONS (SINGHEALTH POLYCLINICS):

11 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 469662

1 Tampines Street 41, Singapore 529203

681 Punggol Drive, Singapore 820681

LOCATIONS (NHG POLYCLINICS):

21 Geylang East Central, Singapore 389707

89 Hougang Avenue 4, Singapore 538829

2003 Toa Payoh Lor 8, Singapore 319260

21 Ang Mo Kio Central 2, Singapore 569666

2 Yishun Ave 9, Singapore 768898

10 Woodlands Street 31, Singapore 738579

Tel: 6643 6969 (SingHealth) / 6355 3000 (NHG)

B9 DENTAL CENTRE

If you'd like to go to a dental clinic rather than a polyclinic, consider B9 Dental Centre. There are 5 dental clinics under the group - Tanjong Pagar (office workers, rejoice!), Buona Vista, Clementi, Toa Payoh and Marsiling - and they offer a full suite of services including extractions, implants, crowns and bridges, and dentures.

For basic regular check-ups, consultation is free while teeth cleaning costs $60 to $85. That's a little bit more expensive than the polyclinic, but considered very cheap for a dental clinic.

LOCATIONS:

Tanjong Pagar Centre, 7 Wallich Street #B1-17, Singapore 078884

Star Vista, 1 Vista Exchange Green, #01-02, Singapore 138617

449 Clementi Avenue 3, #01-261, Singapore 120449

520 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, #01-64 HDB Hub, Singapore 310520

303 Woodlands St 31, #01-203, Singapore 730303

Tel: 6251 8988

UNITY DENTICARE

Established in 1971 as part of NTUC Health (Singapore's largest healthcare cooperative), Unity Denticare is a household brand for cheap dental care. The group has 18 dental clinics islandwide so it definitely won't be a problem finding an outlet that's convenient for you.

Consultation costs $22 to $35, while scaling & polishing ranges from $50 to $105. So, your total bill should fall within the range of $72 to $140.

LOCATIONS: Islandwide; see Unity Denticare locations here

Tel: 6336 6222

PARKWAY DENTAL PRACTICE

If you're working around the Orchard area, you're practically surrounded by overpriced dentists and medical clinics. So, Parkway Dental Practice at Pacific Plaza is probably your best bet.

A simple consultation plus scaling & polishing costs only $88 here, making it one of the most affordable dentists in the Orchard area.

LOCATION: 9 Scotts Road, #12-02 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210

Tel: 6836 9808

SMILE DENTAL GROUP

Another one for East siders, Smile Dental Group is a friendly neighbourhood dental clinic with 2 outlets in Katong and Marine Parade, with 10 dentists in all.

Consultation is the usual $20 to $30, but scaling & polishing can be a little pricier as it starts from $75. Your bill will total $95 at the very least, but it could easily cross the $100 mark too.

LOCATIONS:
231 East Coast Road, Singapore 429927

59 Marine Terrace #01-91, Singapore 440059

Tel: 6346 1138 / 6345 4218 (East Coast) or 6242 8823 (Marine Terrace)

Q & M DENTAL GROUP SINGAPORE

Like Unity Denticare, Q & M Dental Group is one of those chain dental clinics that are now synonymous with affordable dental care.

Q & M actually started out as just 1 dental clinic in 1996, but it's now a mega chain with over 60 dental clinics across the island with a pool of some 200 dentists and 380 clinical and administrative staff.

Prices aren't as cheap as you'd expect. Consultation costs $30 to $50, while scaling & polishing ranges from $74 to $100. This means your total bill will easily hit $104.90.

Contact & locations: You can find a Q & M clinic near you here.

HEALTHWAY DENTAL GROUP

Healthway Dental Group is another mega chain like Q & M, except they also have a few subsidiary groups under them: Aaron Dental, Universal Dental, Popular Dental and Neuglow Dental. They offer both general and specialist dental services.

It's also on the slightly pricier side, at $30 to $50 for consultation and $8o $120 scaling & polishing. Expect your total bill to range from $110 to $170.

LOCATIONS: 
You can find a Healthway Dental clinic here

Tel: 9181 4777

NEWPORT DENTAL

Newport Dental is a dental practice with 3 dentists, located in Kallang Wave Mall next to Stadium MRT (Circle Line).

The location is a little out of the way unless you live in the Kallang and Marine Parade area, but the payoff is that the full consultation plus scaling & polishing will set you back by only $120.

LOCATION: 1 Stadium Place, #01-08 Kallang Wave Mall, Singapore 397628

Tel: 6386 7578

MARITIME DENTAL SURGERY

Another Tanjong Pagar dental clinic - great for those working in the CBD - Maritime Dental Surgery is a family dental clinic that has been serving residents for nearly 30 years.

Their specialty is wisdom tooth surgery and they pride themselves on offering the most affordable rates for the procedure ($200 to $500).

For regular check-ups and cleaning, prices are really affordable as well. You'll pay $30 for consultation and an estimated $100 for teeth cleaning, bringing your total bill to $130.

LOCATION: 120 Cantonment Road, #02-04 Maritime House, Singapore 089760

Tel: 6220 5793

AZURE DENTAL

Bringing your kid to the dentist is usually a recipe for disaster, so we have a soft spot for Azure Dental in Bukit Timah for making the whole experience a pleasant, stress-free one.

The dental clinic is very child-friendly, from the staff down to the equipment (such as booster seats in every room so your little one can sit comfortably). Parents aren't forgotten as well - they have all-you-can-drink coffee available for free.

Price-wise, it's one of the higher ones on the list at $30 for consultation and $90 to $150 for scaling & polishing. That brings the total bill up to $120 to $180.

LOCATION: 22 Sixth Ave, Singapore 276480

Tel: 6463 6318

This article was first published in MoneySmart.