Going to the dentist is a pain in the wallet.

But you can have some control over what you spend in the dentist’s office if you do it yourself. We’re not talking about filling your own cavities but spending more time with your brush and floss.

In the tough economy, many are thinking about what they can do at home to cut costs. Dental care is no different, said Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, president of the Maine Dental Association, a pediatric dentist in Augusta and a consumer health advocate.

“If people want to save money on expensive dental work, make sure you brush twice a day and floss every day,” Shenkin said. Brush for two minutes each time and floss all of your teeth. More than anything else, taking care of your teeth is the most effective way to avoid that root canal that can cost thousands of dollars.

Ditch the soda and juice. Watch what you eat and drink. Today children drink more juice than they used to; adults drink too much soda, Shenkin said.

“The problem with juice is it has a lot of sugar. It’s natural sugar, but sugar is still sugar,” he said. Juice does have some vitamins, but no fiber. For good nutrition and healthy teeth, choose whole fruit instead of juice. “Soda has a ton of sugar and is acidic.” That acid erodes teeth. Diet soda has no sugar but still has the acid that erodes teeth.

Drink tap water. Non-bottled water is “fantastic” for healthy teeth. There’s no sugar, no acid, and most communities have fluoride-treated water to protect teeth. Bottled water doesn’t contain fluoride, and you can’t beat the price of tap water. Low-fat milk is another great choice for healthy teeth, Shenkin said.

Every six months, or once a year? Some dentists whisper that not everyone needs to go to the dentist twice a year; once a year is sufficient if you are taking good care of your teeth and if you don’t have dental problems. Shenkin prefers visits every six months for children.

“Skipping is not a good idea,” he said. “It’s like a domino effect. When you delay care, things cost more.” A cavity can grow to a root canal.

How often you see a dentist depends on your risk level, Shenkin said. For some, once a year may be enough; others may need to go three or four times a year. Before you routinely schedule a six-month visit, talk to your dentist.

Keep those X-rays. Generally, dentists recommend a full set of X-rays every three to five years. If you change dentists, be sure you have your X-rays sent to the new dentist to avoid having to pay for them again.

Call ahead to find out how much. If you don’t have dental insurance, you want to know what it’s going to cost before you go. I didn’t find any dentist offices that posted their prices. Calls to four dentist offices showed most charge about $250 for a first visit, including an exam, X-rays and cleaning, depending on how much cleaning is needed. Aspen Dental does not charge new patients for the first visit and X-ray. You could ask your new dentist to match Aspen’s offer; the worst they could say is no.

Nonprofit clinics. A few places offer reduced or sliding fees, according to your income.

The Dental Hygiene Program at the University of New England in Portland is a nonprofit teaching clinic. Services are available to the public with no income restriction. But appointments are only available September through April. Because work is performed by students, appointments may require more time. The clinic’s number: 207-221-4900.

The B Street Dental Program in downtown Lewiston treats only children on MaineCare: 753-5400.

Community Dental is a nonprofit organization with offices in six locations, including Lewiston, Rumford and Farmington. It’s the largest MaineCare provider in the state, but adult MaineCare coverage is limited to emergency care.

Community Dental offers a sliding fee according to the patient’s income, and sees patients whose income is too high for reduced fees, said Lisa Cavanaugh, Community Dental executive director. “Being nonprofit, we still have to make money, but our mission is to provide affordable, quality dental care.”

For more: Call the Lewiston office at 177 Main St., 777-7442, or go to: http://www.communitydentalme.org/.