[Sarah]

I needed a root canal and didn’t have insurance so I forked over 1500 and then got a crown on my Medicaid. I could have had the tooth pulled and got an insert after November when I can enroll in my dental plan through my retirement pension plan.

Now I may need another root canal before November and cannot buy one and pay my bills. Should I do the root canal on credit or get it pulled and get an insert after I get insurance. I guess it depends on what everything costs.

What do people do with dental costs who don’t have insurance?

[Shauna]

What tooth # is it? What is the insert? Implant? Partial? Have you looked into a dentist that will do the root canal that excepts Medicaid? Have you looked into a dental school?

[Stephanie]

Damn that sucks! I’ve been in the same boat. I put it on credit because I didn’t want to go an extended time without a tooth.

[Celestine]

I would definitely check and make sure my new insurance would cover pre-existing conditions.

[Rita]

I’m 75. If I had your situation and could not wait until November, I would get it pulled and wait for the insert after your dental plan begins. Alternatively, if there are dental schools nearby, you may be able to get the work performed at a reasonable rate. If you get a tooth pulled and do not immediately get an insert, you will have to preserve the integrity of the opposite tooth. Check with your Dentist on how to do this.

A friend was advised to chew on a cork every day to stimulate the opposite tooth so it would stay healthy.

[Kelly]

Well, a couple years ago, I pulled my own tooth with a pair of pliers because I had a bad abscess and the dentist wanted $240 and I didn’t have it. That’s what some poor people do. I’m not the only one

If we can afford to have a dentist pull the tooth, we do that instead of an expensive root canal. That’s why poor people are often missing teeth. It’s not because we don’t brush. I brush at least three times a day. But when something goes wrong, we can’t afford to repair a tooth. So we get it pulled, or pull it ourselves if we must.

There are dental clinics for low income people. They usually use a sliding fee scale, so your cost is based on your income. They may have long waiting lists to get an appointment and often offer limited services. But that’s an option if you don’t have insurance, if you’re not having a dental emergency, and if you can afford something.

[Patricia]

Always get a second opinion before having any major work such as this. There may be other options.

[Author]

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