I was laid off a couple of years ago, which caused me to lose not only my income but my benefits. Since then, I have found a new job, but they hired me as a contractor, which not only means I have to pay self-employed taxes, but I don’t qualify for benefits. I think I may have cracked a tooth. My wife said I’ve recently been grinding my teeth in my sleep, which may be from stress. I know I need to get this seen. Is it possible to get affordable dentistry without insurance or should I just expect to empty my account?
David
Dear David,
Life is crazy hard sometimes, isn’t it? I am sorry for all you are going through. The good news is there are ways to get this done reasonably. First, though, a warning. Please don’t confuse cheap dentistry with affordable dentistry. If someone does a crown at a considerably lesser price than all their peers, there is usually a reason. In most cases, it means they cannot retain patients because they’re not great at their job so they keep their prices super low to consistently draw in new ones. Often, these crowns don’t last as long as they should and you end up spending more money replacing it.
I would look for an affordable dentist. They are usually willing to work out payments with patients. Either they have in-house payment plans or they work through Care Credit.
Another thing to consider is though you don’t get benefits from work, there are self-employed dental plans that are quite affordable. It would be worth it to you.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.