When you have a problem with your teeth, you often have no choice but to get dental care. Toothaches can be really painful, while missing teeth can impact your appearance in major ways and can even affect job opportunities.
Unfortunately, getting dental care can be really expensive when you don't have dental insurance. If you find yourself in this situation, you're going to need to find a way to pay for the care you need.
To help you out, check out these tips for paying for dental care when you don't have insurance coverage.
Ask a local dental school
You can often find inexpensive dental care at dental schools, even if you don't have insurance coverage.
To find a dental school in your area, search the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Be sure to contact the dental school to find out the services they provide as well as costs and fees, as care at a dental school clinic may not be free. You should also be aware that, depending upon demand for services, there may be a wait before you're able to get the care you need.
Look for a public dental clinic
If you have demonstrated proof of financial need, you could also look into public clinics where dentists perform work for free or on a sliding scale. You can use the Health Resources & Services search tool to find a federally funded clinic near you. Some charitable organizations also offer free or low-cost dental clinics, particularly for children.
Explore discount dental programs
If you already have a problem with your teeth that you need to address, it will likely be too late to get dental insurance to cover your issue. The care you need would probably be excluded due to the fact you have a pre-existing condition. Many dental insurance plans also impose a waiting period of about six months for major procedures.
However, there are dental discount programs you can join even when you are already in need of dental help. Typically with these programs, you pay a small fee, often around $150 a year, to get access to discounted dental services from participating dentists. Delta Dental is one example of a discount program you could consider, but there may be others that operate in your state as well.
Before you sign up for a discount dental program, compare projected costs to what you'd pay if you simply visited your local dentist and requested a cash discount. If you won't save enough to make up for the fee of joining the discount dental program, then it's not worth doing.