Many Americans are putting off making a dental appointment. It’s not because all of them have a phobia relating to dentistry. A large group of Americans avoids seeing their dentist because they do not have health insurance. If this describes you, there are some options.
A survey called the 2011 Survey of Dental Care Affordability and Accessibility found that around 77% of Americans, who didn’t have dental insurance, delayed making a dental appointment. The reason was because of the cost of the dental care. People are afraid that they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for the dental bills.
The same survey also found that 73% of Americans don’t actually know what their dental care costs. Obviously, if you don’t know what something costs, then there is no way to know if you can afford to purchase it. Another problem is that people cannot just call up a dentist, ask for a price quote, and expect to get one. It just doesn’t work that way.
Overall, the recession, and the high unemployment rate, are still causing big financial problems for many Americans. If you have lost your job, and your health insurance came from your job, then becoming unemployed means that you no longer have health insurance. It also means that you are struggling to make ends meet. People are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to pay for a visit to a dentist.
It is very important to have good dental care. Lack of it can cause small dental problems to become bigger ones, and big dental problems to result in death. If you have no dental insurance, there are some options available to you.
There are some federally funded health care centers that exist through the U.S. Department of Health. You can go to their website to find out if there is one near where you live. Everyone is eligible to use this form of dental care. You probably are going to have a long wait before the dentist can see you, however.
You might want to check the website for your state, or for the county that you live in. They might have a listing of low cost primary dental care providers that accept patients who do not have dental insurance. These type of programs are for low income families, for seniors, and for children.
If you are just looking for a “ballpark figure” for how much certain dental services generally cost, there is a tool for that. It is a price calculator rom a website called Braces Info. You can use the calculator to find out the cost of things like X-rays, cleanings, fillings, and other dental services. Maybe, if you save up, you can afford to see a dentist after all!
Image by Certo Xornal on Flickr