Believe me, I'm no fan of dentists either, and I agree that some dentists insist on unnecessary work, but still I think it's important to go every once in awhile. My sister (who is a nurse) just told me last week to make sure I take care of my teeth, not only for their sake, but that tooth decay is a leading cause of heart attacks in otherwise perfectly normal young people. If you get an infection in your gums it's really easy for it to spread through your arteries directly to your heart. It may not be super common, but it does happen.