What do you do if you have a serious toothache but no money? Are there ways to get a tooth looked at for free?
Kevin
Dear Kevin,
I’m sorry you have a toothache. Some communities will run free clinics on certain days for people who need free dental work. However, they don’t happen every month and you often have to get there very early in the morning to get in line. Unless you have one coming up right away, it isn’t safe for you to wait.
A toothache is considered a dental emergency. If you don’t get the treatment you need in a timely fashion it will spread. If you think about how close your jaw is to both your heart and brain you can see how a tooth infection can turn life threatening quickly.
Even in the 21st century, people still die from tooth infections. It’s always tragic because it is so preventable. So what do you do if you need treatment and don’t have the money.
Finding an Affordable Dentist
First, start with an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“. Generally, if a dentist promotes their practice as affordable they are more willing to work with patients in challenging financial situations.
Many of them offer payment plans which allow you to get your treatment done first and pay it out. They’ll either have in-house plans or they will offer Care Credit.
This is a medical credit card of sorts which allows you to get low or even no interest payment plans (depending on your credit). There’s also no penalty for early pay-off which you typically get with a credit card.
Saving Money with Preventative Dental Care
The earlier you catch something the better. A filling is cheaper than a dental crown or root canal treatment. Both of those are cheaper than losing a tooth and needing to pay for a dental implant to replace it.
We’ve seen way too many patients who come to the dentist too late to save teeth and end up spending money that could easily have been avoided.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.