Go for the deep cleaning Mixxy.
I had to forego dentist visits for about 6 years (which didn't seem like a big thing at the time since i hate going to the dentist).I had to pay put of pocket for a crown on a broken molar, right before i was eligible for a decent dental plan. It took about 3 years to get caught back up all the fillings that i needed.
Thought i was done, but nope. I've got a bone graft scheduled for this week, so they can rebuild the bone under one tooth to be able to cap it. lovely. i'm so looking forward to it. (ha. not.) I'm lucky, insurance is covering about 2/3rd of the cost of the graft.