M
marynyc
Member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2018
- Messages
- 57
In all the help I've received from the kind people here, and being lucky enough to find a good, competent dentist that is working with me, I can't help but think about dentistry as a privilege. In the US, almost all healthcare is a privilege that is directly related to class and income. Pain free healthcare, mental health care to deal with anxiety, etc. is often reserved for those who can afford it.
My traumatic dental experience primarily stemmed from seeing a dentist I could afford, not a good dentist. Here in NYC, low-income people often resort to NYU or Columbia dental schools, where their anxiety isn't a priority, and student learning is ultimate, over their comfort. They never get the chance to overcome their fears, because their only option doesn't prioritize it and sedation (of any kind) adds to the cost.
In the US, even those with dental insurance can't get GA or IV sedation unless the costs are covered under medical (wisdom tooth extraction for example, falls under this for many health insurance plans, vs. dental plans). Everyone else, has to suffer through with LA injections - even nitrous is extra and not covered by most insurance plans because it's considered unnecessary to complete work - regardless of your anxiety level.
I envy those of you in the UK - although the wait times to be seen would probably send me over the edge, as l already have a hard time with all of my appointments being spread out over a month - but at least you're not generally at risk of going bankrupt or having to choose between paying for care and being homeless.
Even those of us with insurance, have to pay up-front for anything not covered. I was caught off guard after my root canal on Monday - JUST the root canal, my out of pocket was $281. Which isn't much, for the US, but had my husband not been with me, I would have honestly been in a real bind. They hadn't given me a treatment plan in advance (their oversight) so I had no idea. If we weren't incredibly lucky and privileged, I'd have to space out essential treatment even more, just to save up in between to pay for it. I am already having to consider postponing some fillings until January because this *one* tooth root canal + post + crown, will hit my yearly max of $1500. I had it suggested to me that I get an implant for the extraction I had 5 years ago, and that sounds great and all, but who is going to pay for a $2,000 implant for a single tooth?
So what do we tell people who have pain, decay, infection, who are already scared and ready to take care of things and face their fears, when they just don't have the money? Even a single extraction at the Columbia Dental School costs $80 in exam fee and $95 for the procedure. That's $175 to extract a single tooth.
I know this is sort of deep, but I find trying to approach things intellectually, can often help my anxiety, so if I have another topic to focus on/chat about, it can help.
If anyone here is in the US or a similar situation outside the US, how have you handled much needed, necessary, vital, treatment, on a budget? CareCredit? Loans? Just curious to start a discussion and didn't see anything more recent on the forums that was similar to this topic.
My traumatic dental experience primarily stemmed from seeing a dentist I could afford, not a good dentist. Here in NYC, low-income people often resort to NYU or Columbia dental schools, where their anxiety isn't a priority, and student learning is ultimate, over their comfort. They never get the chance to overcome their fears, because their only option doesn't prioritize it and sedation (of any kind) adds to the cost.
In the US, even those with dental insurance can't get GA or IV sedation unless the costs are covered under medical (wisdom tooth extraction for example, falls under this for many health insurance plans, vs. dental plans). Everyone else, has to suffer through with LA injections - even nitrous is extra and not covered by most insurance plans because it's considered unnecessary to complete work - regardless of your anxiety level.
I envy those of you in the UK - although the wait times to be seen would probably send me over the edge, as l already have a hard time with all of my appointments being spread out over a month - but at least you're not generally at risk of going bankrupt or having to choose between paying for care and being homeless.
Even those of us with insurance, have to pay up-front for anything not covered. I was caught off guard after my root canal on Monday - JUST the root canal, my out of pocket was $281. Which isn't much, for the US, but had my husband not been with me, I would have honestly been in a real bind. They hadn't given me a treatment plan in advance (their oversight) so I had no idea. If we weren't incredibly lucky and privileged, I'd have to space out essential treatment even more, just to save up in between to pay for it. I am already having to consider postponing some fillings until January because this *one* tooth root canal + post + crown, will hit my yearly max of $1500. I had it suggested to me that I get an implant for the extraction I had 5 years ago, and that sounds great and all, but who is going to pay for a $2,000 implant for a single tooth?
So what do we tell people who have pain, decay, infection, who are already scared and ready to take care of things and face their fears, when they just don't have the money? Even a single extraction at the Columbia Dental School costs $80 in exam fee and $95 for the procedure. That's $175 to extract a single tooth.
I know this is sort of deep, but I find trying to approach things intellectually, can often help my anxiety, so if I have another topic to focus on/chat about, it can help.
If anyone here is in the US or a similar situation outside the US, how have you handled much needed, necessary, vital, treatment, on a budget? CareCredit? Loans? Just curious to start a discussion and didn't see anything more recent on the forums that was similar to this topic.