Dentists and High Costs: What To Do When You’re Broke

Apr 25
08:05

2011

Aloysius Aucoin

Aloysius Aucoin

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

It’s a sad fact of life in the United States that if you don’t have insurance and you don’t have piles of money lying around, it can be difficult to afford proper health care. No one should have to suffer through intense oral pain or allow their health problems to deteriorate due to lack of money. Here are some tips if you need dentists now, but can't afford it.

mediaimage
It’s a sad fact of life in the United States that if you don’t have insurance and you don’t have piles of money lying around,Dentists and High Costs: What To Do When You’re Broke Articles it can be difficult to afford proper health care. This includes dentists and many people have found themselves left out in the cold, putting off important oral care because they simply couldn’t afford to go see someone about that nagging pain in the back of their mouth. No one should have to suffer through intense oral pain or allow their health problems to deteriorate due to lack of money. Here are some tips if you need care now, but can’t afford it.

Payment Plans

Some dentists offer their patients payment plans that can allow them to get the care they need, while paying for it in installments. You will need a credit check to go on such a plan, but you probably won’t need the kind of immaculate record you would need to purchase a car or something of that nature. Some dental offices offer plans that come with payments as low as $30 a month, which can be a big help to those who don’t have a lot of income coming through the door.

Dental School

No, you don’t need to train in a dentists school to get help for your toothache. But if you live nearby a dental college, you could be able to get oral care for a reduced price. In fact, some schools offer care to the public for as little as 30% of what you would pay at a regular office. No, it won’t be quite the cushy environment you might want out of your experience, and you will be subjecting yourself to students (under the supervision of full professors), but it can save you a lot of money in the process.

Emergency Room

If you have a serious toothache, you may want to go to your local ER. There will likely be a dentist on duty who can examine you and make sure there isn’t a serious infection. An infection of the mouth can have severe repercussions, including further illness, fever, and it could even make headway into your jaw and cause bone damage. This is something you’ll want to avoid at all costs. Serious dental work isn’t going to be done through the ER, but you can at least get something for the pain and stop an infection from spreading. After that, you can make a more concerted effort to find reasonable dental opportunities.