NOBODY wants to visit the dentist. Just remembering the sound of that drill is enough to scare anyone out of making an appointment.

But it only delays the inevitable.

Few of us are spared fillings and however awful that prospect may seem, dentists are also able to spot much more serious conditions.

Which means only a routine visit to the surgery can keep our oral health up to scratch.

Fortunately, York is better at this than most with more than half its adults attending the dentists in the last couple of years.

That said, there is no room for complacency because we are meant to go every six months.

The message prevention is better than cure is still falling on too many deaf ears.