This month, The American Dental Association is marking the 10th anniversary of its Give Kids A Smile program. This program offers free dental care and education for children in need.
Did you know that approximately 80 percent of tooth decay in the U.S. is suffered by 25 percent of the country’s children, according to the National Institutes of Health? One of the main reasons for delaying dental care has been found to be because of cost. Dental care can be expensive, especially if you aren’t sure what procedures are necessary and which aren’t. Think of dentists as marketers. Many of them are trained to push for procedures, both cosmetic and not, but all of them will help them bring in more money. You need to know what types of procedures that you absolutely need, and which ones you can do without!
There are quite a few ways to try to keep dental costs down though, and I wanted to share them with you.
* Ask around. Ask your friends who they recommend and ask if they’ve been offered a lot of procedures or not. If you can ask a trusted friend and get a straight answer, you can check their dentist out too!
* Shop around. Call around to different dentists. If you have dental insurance, look up the dentists that are IN NETWORK and call them first. Insurance carriers will often cover more of the expense with their IN NETWORK providers.
* Consider free and low-cost clinics and health centers: Some community health centers offer dental care with fees based on the ability to pay. Call your local health department to see if you have one nearby. Be prepared for possible long waiting times.
* Look into dental and dental hygienist schools: If you are willing to be treated by supervised students, you can try out one of the accredited dental schools that offer free or discounted care to the public. A list of schools is available at www.ada.org/267.aspx.
* Investigate dental discount plans: For an annual membership fee of around $50 to $100, you can get access to a network of dentists who have agreed to discounted rates. However, we recommend that you watch out for pricey add-ons and extra procedures that you don’t need.
Hopefully some of these tips can help you or someone you know find a dentist!
Give Kids A Smile [ADA]