What are some things you can do to maintain your teeth when you don't have health insurance and can't afford dental care?
What are some things you can do to maintain your teeth when you don't have health insurance and can't afford dental care?
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Brush and floss just like your dentist tells you. Also use a real mouthwash, like Listerine.
See comment above, but basically, I question whether mouthwash is all that, based on recent research: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.001830
If you do exactly what your dentist tells you, you should be coming in every 6 months for a checkup..
And your point?
Fine. Don't brush and floss every day. Don't visit the dentist often. It's your call. It's your teeth.
Between genetics and laziness, most people need a cleaning every 6 months.
If you don't think you do, then don't. Last I checked the dentist isn't your mom or dad.
That's wildly out of the financial means of a lot of us.
Sorry, but it just gets more expensive to care for them later. Aim for at least a yearly cleaning/exam so that they can catch issues before they become serious. Twice a year is better.
And find a dentist that is conservative about fillings. My dentist almost never recommends procedures unless there is actual decay, and I trust them to not push work on me that I don't need.
Bingo.
Pay now, or pay a LOT more later (with a lot more pain, and maybe major issues).
I've been there.
I had thousands of dollars of dental work done when I had no insurance and made $15/hr. Talked to the dentist, we worked out a plan to get the crucial stuff done. He didn't want me leaving without a plan to take care things, despite OP's implication about dentists being money grubbers.
My father owned a small business, people would sometimes complain he was "cheating them". His answer - there's more work than I can do in a day, I don't need to fuck anyone to make a buck.
Shop around, you can frequently get discounts or cheaper rates if you tell them you're uninsured / self pay. I've had to do this during tough financial times.
There may also be some luxuries or other corners you can safely cut if you go over your budget with a fine toothed comb.
OK?
OP was bitching about dentist telling him what to do. Why are you moving the goalposts?
if you find yourself saying that someone asking for advice or help is "bitching" about something, just do everyone (including yourself) a favour and ignore the post and go on with your day.
Gotta get the mouthwash with fluorine; not all kinds of Listerine have it.