In today's world of constant economic turmoil, it's fair to address the question of, "How can I afford dental care?" So that's what we will discuss today -- dentistry on a budget.
To begin, we've already gone over dental insurance in a past post, the basic premise being that dental insurance is severely lacking. And we've gone over the costs involved with crowns and root canals and the like (they aren't cheap). So it does beg the question I asked at the start of this post -- Just how can people afford dental care in this day and age?
I do believe there is an answer. It's not the popular answer, but I do feel it's the correct one. And that answer is a single word: prevention.
I know, I know ... it's basic, and it's really not sexy. It's not the "secret to cheap dental care" that everyone is hoping for.
Or is it?
I have to tell you, as a NYC Cosmetic Dentist I see this day in and day out. Almost daily, I am visited by someone who "hasn't been to the dentist in years." The reasons are usually economic -- they didn't want to spend the money on twice-annual cleanings, x-rays and checkups. And the reason they came to me today: Because it hurts.
Well, once a tooth, or teeth, are to the point where they hurt, it's almost always very expensive -- usually "thousands of dollars" expensive. Do you know how many cleanings and x-rays a thousand dollars buys? For most dentists, several years worth (and throw in a cavity filling or two).
Essentially, what I am trying to say here is skipping out on x-rays and cleanings will probably cost you more money in the long run. Let's take a look at it numbers-wise:
•Avg. yearly cost of x-rays and cleaning: about $300 ($150 x 2)
•Avg. cost of filling if a cavity is found: about $200
For this exercise, let's assume someone (Person A) gets four years of cleanings and x-rays, and during this time, has two cavities caught early and filled -- fair enough?
That works out to $1,600 over four years that Person A spent.
Person B skipped the twice yearly visits for four years, because they figured it would save them money. Let's assume the same two cavities, which in this case, were not caught early and were allowed to fester. In fact, untreated, they will likely become abscessed. The sad part is, person B will probably not know this until it's actually close to happening (many cavities are painless until it's far too late). Let's say one does abscess, prompting a dentist visit.
So now person B has an abscess, another one on the way, and needs major work. A root canal / post / crown for the abscessed tooth are going to run $2,000 - $3,000. The "one on the way" may very well need a root canal / post / crown as well (most dentists will now shy away from doing huge fillings, as they know it's a very temporary solution at best).
Bottom line: Person B saved NOTHING by skipping twice annual visits. In fact, they spent more ... way more.
You do not save anything by ignoring your teeth. In fact, it will end up costing you a lot -- either in high dental bills, or lost teeth (which, trust me, you don't want to happen).
Considering the above, here's my advice to dentistry on a budget:
•Brush 3x a day -- after each meal. Yes, bring a toothbrush to work.
•Floss every evening.
•See your dentist twice yearly, and get the small problems taken care of before they become big expensive problems (and they always do -- cavities don't get better on their own). I do recommend twice yearly (as that almost guarantees that small problems will be caught), but at the very minimum, go at least once a year -- it's better than skipping altogether.
People who do the above religiously almost never have huge dental problems. At least not consistently (there's always outliers). And huge problems are the really expensive ones (crowns cost a fortune to make, the equipment the dentist must use is very expensive, etc ... there's a lot more expense than the several hours you sit in the chair ... that's for another post though).
Ok, one last thing here: If you do find yourself in a situation where you need thousands of dollars in work that you cannot afford, there are several third party dental credit specialists that will finance dental work for a year or two -- often with little to no interest. Care Credit by GE Capital is a common one. I'm not advocating debt, but if it's a choice between keeping teeth and debt, for me it's a no-brainer. You don't want to be without your natural teeth if you can help it at all.
I hope this post has been informative for you, and helps a few people out there see that skipping checkups is almost always a bad move in the long run.
Until next time, keep smiling.