Wrong concept

I go to the dentist only when I have dental pain.
Whenever you have a dental pain that means you are at a late stage; because this means that the protective layer of dental enamel is eroded and reached to the nerves of the teeth.
At this stage the treatment will take a longer time and if root canal treatment is required then you will need to have a crown to cover that tooth.

Right concept

You should have periodic visits to the dentist e.g. every 6 months to detect early dental cavities and resolve it in a single session
(prevention is better than cure)