Dental costs

[OWENSHARKY]

My wife and i both need extensive dental work, neither of us have smiled properly in the last 15 years due to missing and broken teeth. As the expense here in Australia is so high it is a daunting task and a huge expense with no health insurance. We dont even know where to start. We both put up with regular severe toothaches, broken teeth etc. its got to the stage where eating a lot of the foods we love is just becoming too hard. Dentures would be the answer but we both have a lot of teeth broken down to the gum line so we will probably need multiple extractions . We need a good but cheap dentist ,even better if we can have a payment plan but dont know where to look. Its embarrasing for me to even open my mouth in public, let alone eat or smile.what do we do ??

 

[Shakinginmyboots]

If you have a particular dentist in mind, call or email and see if they will do a payment plan. I saw that Australia has sites like Smile.com.au that will do payment plans if you use a dentist on their list. Of course I am not sure of the interest rates, etc , so it may be better to call and ask first.
I live in USA and we have insurance, but it is not good. You won’t be sorry you are taking this step. I am so relieved I finally went!

 

[Enarete]

Hi there,

I think at the beginning of any treatment, no matter how extensive, there is a checkup first. You need a dentist who can assess the situation and tell you what needs to be done and what the costs would be. This will give you clarity and you can take next steps from there. The cost for a checkup shouldn't be horrific so if you can find a way to get it that would be the best start. So even if you are really worried abut the cost, do not let this to get in your way, at least not at this stage.
Getting in touch with a dental university in your area might be a good idea as well, very often they provide treatment for low rates.

All the best wishes and keep us posted

 

[Scaredyjo]

Hi there.
I am new to this site but in a similar position to yourselves.
I live in the UK but cannot get an NHS dentist so have had to go private.
I have just managed to find a local dentist that does payment plans in my area so am going for the check up tomorrow.
I Google anxiety and dentists in my area then went on the websites for them and looked under payments and fees section. Luckily managed to find one that has payment plans and good reviews for nervous patients so am going to see them. They have told me that at this point they will go through costs, payments etc.
It took a lot of trawling through the internet but did manage to find one that I think will cover my requirements.
I hope you find what you need. Good luck.

 

[Sol]

Sorry to see your situation is similar to how things are in the US (lack of coverage options, few dentist that participate in insurance/health programs, high prices, etc.) Try asking family and friends for recommendations, you may be able to find someone who accepts payment plans that way. If you live close to a dental college they tend to offer reasonable rates for services. There may also be charitable organizations that offer free dental clinics like in the US.

 

[Dg6300]

I’m not sure if this is the exact right place to start, but they can surely point you in the right direction.

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Or call whatever your local equivalent of 211 is.

Time to start taking action, my friend. Time to start advocating for yourself.