"Some people fear dental bills more than they fear dental treatment"

[sabra]

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/patients-line-up-at-free-dental-clinic.html


Patients take bite out of free dental clinic services

For Valentine's Day, Kaurina Crisanti got her impacted molars extracted, courtesy of Big Smile Dental.

Crisanti, 24, showed up at the Logan Square dentist's office at 3:30 a.m. today in anticipation of Dentists With Heart offering free X-rays, fillings and extractions. Clad in a rainbow sweater, Crisanti came prepared with four blankets, pillows, snacks, a book and money to buy coffee.

Yet, even with her early arrival, she was the 36th person in line. When her number was called, tears streamed down her face in fear of getting her wisdom teeth pulled.

"I could feel them in the roof of my mouth, which was wigging me out," Crisanti, a maintenance worker who makes $8 an hour and doesn't have health insurance, said before her extraction. "But I had to wait until today to get them pulled."


Ryan Moore (left), 25, hugs his friend Kaurina Crisanti, 24, after he gets his teeth cleaned for free by dental hygienist Jen Bishop (right) at Big Smile Dental in Chicago today. Crisanti had her impacted molars pulled. (Tribune / José M. Osorio)

The process, which would have cost $1,000 under normal circumstances, was over in a matter of minutes. With a mouth full of gauze and a prescription for Vicodin in hand, Crisanti professed her gratitude to the oral surgeon, Dr. David Hanson, and apologized for not making him a Valentine's Day card.

Dentists with Heart has treated more than 3,000 people and provided more than $1.25 million in free dentistry, according to Dr. Ted Siegel, who founded the organization in 2006.

"Some people fear dental bills more than they fear dental treatment," Siegel said. "Dentistry is a luxury (some people) can't afford."

[Drunken Irishman]

1. I've had a bad molar for a couple years now. I'm thankful it hasn't abscessed.

If it did, I'd be fucked. I spent a lot of money on root canals and fillings a few years ago. I just can't do it now. So I walk around with a bad tooth. It sucks. But I just don't have the money and my work doesn't offer dental.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. I have dental, but half of $1200 is STILL a shitload of money. nt

[progressoid]

14. Sounds like our situation too.

Our Dental coverage is a joke. I just hope I can get mine fixed before it gets worse.

[panader0]

2. I sure wish they'd come here.

With my daughter graduating from high school in May, I can't even afford to go across the line, where treatment is about one third of that here in the states.

[havocmom]

3. Beautiful and sad story. Thanks for posting.

I used to get so annoyed years ago when too many DUers would make fun of people with bad teeth. I wanted to shake them and scream: Sometimes it's the POVERTY, stupid!

[Hannah Bell]

16. +100.

[Skidmore]

4. We lost our dental insurance for 4 years and were just recently

able to get it again. The problem is not the exam and the cleaning but what to do if they find a problem. We didn't go there those years and did our best to care for our teeth. When we did get in, I got an earful from the dentist about how she hoped that her profession wouldn't be included in the healthcare reform measures being discussed at the time.

[upi402]

5. I have a bad tooth and just suffer

I hate Democrats who sold us out with a white hot passion. Worse than Repukes who are honest about screwing us.

[Lorien]

25. Yeah, I have I broken molar right now too. It's not easy to eat around it

but that's just the way it will have to be. There's no way for me to afford a crown. It's going to start looking more and more like the dark ages in the USA as fewer and fewer of us can afford dental and medical care.

[Liberty Belle]

36. if you wait, you may lose the tooth. Have you asked about payments?

Also some dentists will put on a temporary crown, which is less expensive.

[napi21]

6. That's wonderful that some dentists are generous enough to

donate their time & equipment to help! It's very true that most people postphone going to a dentist because of the cost. We even had Dental Ins. and neither of us have ever managed to get out of the dental office with less than $100+! My husband had to get 2 crowns replaced and thecost was $1,500!

[ipaint]

7. Almost 50% of the households in this country

make under 40,000 a year.

Dentistry is a luxury MOST people can't afford.

[Political_Junkie]

12. I always tell people,

"This is America. Teeth are for the rich." - I say it like it's a joke, but it's no laughing matter. I've got a mouth full of pain from years of undiagnosed TMJ. No one should have to deal with pain, because they can't afford treatment.

[tonysam]

20. Same here, only it's periodontal disease

I need to have thousands of dollars of dental work done, but there is no way I have the money to get them done.

[Political_Junkie]

33. It's so wrong.

I had a friend years ago from Albania. He moved over here to get away from the high taxes. He had his tooth pulled and the next day he said to me, "A hundred bucks! A hundred bucks for one tooth! Back home - five bucks." I tried to explain to him that that was what his higher taxes back home were paying for, but he just couldn't accept that.

[freeplessinseattle]

21. TMJ sucks doesn't it?!

I just can't keep up with the bills and have pretty much given up. a mouth guard is useless to me, too, and of course the more dental worry the more grinding. I'll probably have to have dentures by my mid-40's.

There's a woman who did a study at the UW a few years ago that was shown to help TMJ just by using her hands to manipulate the jaw-it's supposed to hurt pretty bad briefly but then the TMJ pain disappears. I think more people are learning her technique and while it is still pricey maybe one day (before it's too late!) it will be more attainable. I had the opportunity to participate in the study but chickened out-now I really regret it.

[Political_Junkie]

31. Yep, it sucks.

I'm in my mid-40's now and I do need dentures. I can't afford those either. Problems is, I didn't know about the TMJ till a few years ago, by then, the damage was done.

[ceile]

9. We almost cancelled our appts last week even with an FSA card

My hubby made the mistake of cancelling our dental and going strictly with an FSA card. We have now maxed our FSA card with one dental visit. Hopefully nothing else happens before we can get back on our dental plan again!

[SoCalDem]

10. $300 for an xray, a short exam & a prescription for pain pills

That's what our unemployed son, who lives in Seattle , had to pay last week. He lost a filling, and was having excruciating pain. the only dental clinic he could find, that could see him right away, charged him that much.. and to fix the tooth (at a later date) it was going to cost him even more...so he left with the scrip and made plans to spend the next week looking for a dental school that might be able to help him. ...he's been unemployed for a long time now, and of course when he HAD dental with his job, his teeth were in perfect condition, and he had regular cleanings & care..

He's single, has no credit cards & lives frugally, so he manages well on his unemployment, but he has NO extra for expensive dental work. He's in a protected-worker occupation, and has a great unemployment package, but soon that will run out, and he's starting to really worry :(.

He's a heavy crane operator at a specialty steel fabrication operation. They went from 3 shifts, down to 1..and of course he was the "newest" guy, so he and the 2nd newest guy got laid off...that was 11 months ago:(

We send him money from time to time when he hits a speed bump, but we're not made of money:(

[dysfunctional press]

15. has he considered relocating to look for work...?

my father was a heavy-equipment operator, and when the work ran out in our area in the raygun years, he and my mom went to texas, and lived out of a motor home for almost 2 years so that my dad could find work.

[SoCalDem]

17. He is starting to lean that way, but he's been in Seattle for 10 years

and dearly loves the place.. and I'm afraid he would feel compelled to move back to Calif..and there are NO JOBS here:( I suspect that he will end up taking some "lesser" job, if his unemployment runs out before he gets called back to work..but since he lives "small", he'll be ok..

[Flaneur]

11. Viva Mexico!

I work for a small non-profit. Our insurance doesn't include dental, so my employer has agreed to pay for any dental expenses. I need two crowns done. My northern California dentist quoted $1380 for the pair.

Coincidentally, there is a conference in my field in Mexico City next week. So I'm flying to Mexico City ($450), staying at an inexpensive hotel for a week ($150), and getting my crowns done ($500), and still saving my boss about $300.

[Bobbieo]

13. For those who can afford to get to Mexico, I would suggest making the trip.

Algodones, Baja California is well-known area for firstr class dental care for people in the Southwest and West Coast.I got one extraction and six fillings done for $320 US dollars. There are currently several hundred practicing dentists in the area.

[cutlassmama]

34. My step-dad went there for teeth extractions. Excellent dentists and cheap.

[dysfunctional press]

18. a few years back, i got tired of constant pain and not being able to afford dental treatment...

(due to VERY lousy dental "insurance" at my wife's job at the time)...so i had what were left of my teeth pulled, top and bottom, and got fitted for full dentures.

at age 46, it was the BEST my teeth had ever looked since i had my braces taken off in jr. high, with EXTREMELY inflamed and ugly gums that never did get back to right.

and- all that recurring tooth pain is GONE for good.

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. I will be there before too long. My last baby was the final straw for my teeth.

I haven't had more than a couple of years of steady dental in my life.

Combine this with a increasingly severe phobia first developed during insensitive dental care when i was a child in foster care.

I asked, the last time i was able to afford a visit, if they couldn't just pull them all so i could stop having to deal with the issues. The problem is that i cannot afford to keep putting out dental fires. They said bone loss would be an issue because of my age (nearly 38). They kept trying to tell me all the complications i would have to deal with.

Are you happy with the set you have? Have there been any complications?

[dysfunctional press]

24. i haven't had any 'complications'...

but i already had a lot of bone loss in my jaws...i couldn't even consider implants for that reason(at least in my lower jaw)- but then, iwouldn't have been able to afford them anyway.

[FedUpWithIt All]

26. Thanks for responding.

I am glad to hear that you are complication free.
:hi:

[dysfunctional press]

29. they take a little getting used to...

especially getting used to using the adhesives.
and some days, if i'm just going to be home, i don't always put them in...but then, i've NEVER been able to wear ANY kind of jewelry, not even my wedding ring or a watch...i just don't like it.

however- there are times when i have them in, and i totally forget about them being there...like the other day i was watching a movie, and there was a scene with somebody having their teeth purposely knocked out by having the back of their head kicked, while their open mouth was held against a curb...it made me cringe, until i realized that it couldn't ever happen to me like that anymore.

[Javaman]

19. Folks, check to see if there is School of Dentistry in your area.

I get all my work at UT San Antonio. They have done excellent work and only cost me a 5th of what it would have in the real world.

[Turbineguy]

22. Every time my Wife goes to the Dentist

he buys a new car.

[Fla Dem]

27. Should be Dentistry is a necessity some people can't afford.

Bad oral hygiene (no professional cleaning every 6 months) and untreated dental problems are a source for even greater health issues. It's preventative medicine to have you teeth taken care of.

[intheflow]

28. Blows my mind that dentistry and optical aren't generally considered

or included in healthcare plans or the debate overall. I've had people on DU tell me they aren't real medical services because they don't treat real medical need. Obviously, some people on DU are delusional.

[Liberty Belle]

37. Dental infections can go to the heart and kill you. This is fact.

I'd written about this for dental publications in the past. Then this happened to a friend; he nearly died and wound up with a heart transplant.

I know it's tough to afford dental care. But it amazes me to see people willing to borrow money for stuff like car repairs or roof repairs, but not for needed dental repairs. If you can possibly manage it, you should get your teeth taken care of, or you are risking serious health problems or even death.

I have personally had an abscessed tooth that caused me to need sinus surgery.

Don't wait if you can find a way to get treatment--even if you have to negotiate a long-term payment plan or defer something else, or go to Mexico for treatment, or for $20, buy something like AmeriPlan, a program that gives you discounts averaging 50% on dental --and lets you sign up even after you're diagnosed with a dental problem.

Also, try trading out your services or goods to a local dentist.

I've done this a couple of times -- wrote a newsletter for the dentist in exchange for care.

[madamesilverspurs]

30. Even with Medicare A and B

I've had to postpone two surgeries until I could find a way to take care of some dental issues that would have made me too susceptible to post-surgical infection. In both cases the preferred remedy was not covered by any 'emergency' provision, so both teeth were pulled. Without any provision for replacement, I'm told that I'll eventually lose the opposing molars; and chewing with only one molar requires that a lot of food choices are taken off the menu. My GP has said that some of his patients suffer from ailments that would be completely avoidable with adequate dental care, he does not understand why dental care has not been included in any possible reforms.

---

[csziggy]

32. Apparently a lot of dentists do pro bono work

When I was at my dentist's office last week, they had a student in her last semester of training as a dental assistant and were discussing her experience so far. I did not realize that our local Health Department clinic offers limited dental care and for those who need more than they can handle many of the dentists in town do free dental work referred from the Health Department and community organizations.

My dentist said most dentists in the local program take between one and three cases a month as time allows and the need exists. He told me if I knew someone who needed dental care and could not afford it, tell them to go to the local Health Department clinic or the local community health services facility and they could be referred.

[Liberty Belle]

35. AmeriPlan offers discount plans on dental care - it's not insurance, but discounts can be huge.

Typically 50%, up to 80%. You can even use it on braces/orthodontics.

The way it works is you pay a small monthly fee, here it's around $20 a month for your entire family! Then you go to providers on their list who are sick of dealing with insurance companies and so offer hefty discounts to cash-paying patients.

For instance, a crown that would run $800 is about $400 on this plan. Root canals would normally run $1,000, implants even more.

You can also get Ameriplan for vision care, prescriptions, and some other stuff. But the dental is the best deal. You can even sign up AFTER you've been diagnosed with major dental problems.

If anyone is in California/San Diego area, I can recommend an AmeriPlan rep; I'm doing an interview and story on this company. It's not a substitute for insurance if you can afford the latter, but it sure can help fill some of the gaps for those who have no dental insurance or who have expensive prescriptions that insurance won't cover.

I'm thinking of signing up myself, since I've needed braces on my lower teeth ever since an anesthesiologist cut my mouth during surgery, causing a bone infection that caused some teeth to destabilize. (Anyone who thinks it's easy to sue a doc for malpractice, believe me, they lie like dogs to cover for each other, but that's another story!)

[The Midway Rebel]

38. Counted as one of "some people"! n/t

[Spider Jerusalem]

39. I am very happy to have moved to the UK.

Lack of coverage and the sheer cost of treatment kept me away from a dentist for years. I need several fillings and a few crowns; the cost in the US would have been probably about six to eight thousand dollars for everything. Here, as a UK resident, it's free on the NHS (since I was lucky enough to find a dental practice with openings for NHS patients).

[REP]

40. I know the feeling; in fact, I've always said I fear the bill, not the procedure

And weirdly enough, those two look a lot like me and my husband. Weird!