How to Get Dental Care Without Insurance (or Money)
Most “health” insurance plans in the US don’t cover two very important things: your eyesight and your teeth. While health insurance in this country as a whole has become a garbage can, nothing compares to dental insurance in its absolute worthlessness. Anyone who has ever needed extensive dental care knows that even with dental insurance, your out-of-pocket costs will be astronomical . In fact, many people don’t even consider dental insurance to be real insurance because most people will pay more premiums than they’ll ever get back in benefits. And while Medicaid can provide dental care, its dental coverage varies by state and drops significantly after age 21, with only about 40% of dentists accepting it . This is one of the main reasons why a whopping 74 million people in this country have no dental insurance at all.
However, oral health is vital to the rest of your health , so how can you pay for dental services if you don’t have insurance, or even if you have insurance but you find out how bad it is? Here are a few ways to get the help you need without going broke.
Dental schools
No matter where you live, somewhere in your state there is a dental program filled with students who need to perform exams and procedures on real patients. This may involve travel, but the upside is that you can often get things like cleanings, root canals, or fillings for less than half the price you would pay at a dental practitioner’s office.
The downside is that service will be slow: each step of the procedure must be supervised and checked by a licensed dentist before you can move on to the next. You can find dental schools in your state at the Dental Accreditation Commission .
Dental clinics
There are free and low-cost public dental clinics in almost every area of the country that use a sliding scale based on income and insurance coverage. You can find them by searching FreeDental.org . Many nonprofits also host dental clinics at fairs and other public events, and the American Dental Care Foundation tracks these events on their website so you can see if any of them show up in your area in the coming months. United Way also maintains a directory of emergency and low-cost dental services that can help you.
If you are dealing with a disability or are over 65 and cannot afford dental services, you can contact the Dental Lifeline Network . Dentists volunteer their time and services to the DLN to help the most vulnerable in the population. If it’s you, they can help. Finally, there are hundreds of federally funded public health centers throughout the country that provide low-cost oral care. You can find a list of those in your area on the Health Resources and Services Administration website.
Your dentist
While this is an uncomfortable conversation, sometimes just being open with your dentist about your finances is the best way to deal with this situation. If you have insurance and get regular checkups and cleanings but now have a procedure that will cost you thousands of dollars, ask your dentist if they have any kind of payment plan or if they do a certain number of “free services” . ” every year (or if they are associated with another practice that accepts such referrals). They may not be able or willing to help you, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Clinical Trials
It’s a long way to go, but if your oral care needs go beyond the most common procedures, you may be able to find the right clinical trial for you. Clinical trials often offer free basic medical care as part of the trial, and if you have a specific medical condition, this can be a way to get advanced treatment without spending a dime. The government website ClinicalTrials.gov is a good place to start, and WCG CenterWatch keeps a list of active dental and dental trials.