Dental Care

Staying current with dental care cleanings and treatments is important – regardless of your age.

In today’s economy, however, some look at preventive dental care treatments as an extra cost that can be cut. Unfortunately, doing this tends to only lead to more painful situations – for both your teeth and your pocket book.

First, we’ll explore the challenges of paying for dental care for each age group, including children, students, newlyweds and seniors. Then, we’ll provide a solution that can help make dental care more affordable at any age.

Dental Care Budgeting Challenges for Each Age Group

Children from Kindergarten to 12th Grade

For families on limited budgets, or families just temporarily hurting from the tough economy, preventive visits to the dentist may get lost in the budget cuts.

This is unfortunate, because dental disease currently accounts for 51 million lost school hours per year, and it is preventable in most cases.

Many parents share the misconception that dental care can be postponed until their children’s baby teeth are replaced by adult teeth. But on the contrary, dental health issues from childhood often transfer to adult teeth.

A simple way to reduce the chances of lifetime dental health issues for your children is to take them to the dentist twice a year for preventive checkups and cleanings – in order to catch and fix problems in early stages.

College Students

While many students operate on a shoe-string budget during these years, it’s still important to keep dental care cleanings and treatments current.

Doing this, however, becomes trickier as access to family dental insurance plans waivers based on age and student status limitations.

In situations where students do not have dental insurance, it’s easy to see treatments and checkups as auxiliary costs that can be temporarily dropped. With an already limited budget and no assistance with dental care costs, a root canal or other major dental procedure can become a very painful and expensive experience for a college student.

Just Married

For those who get married in their 20s or 30s, other major purchases may take away from the health care budget.

Buying a house, getting a new car or even making room in the budget for future additions to the family make it tempting to lengthen the time between dental checkups and cleanings.

However, just as with other age groups, postponing preventive checkups and cleanings can lead to much bigger problems down the road – especially when the dental care budget has already been reallocated for other expenses.

Golden Years

Many seniors find themselves on a fixed income and unfortunately, with age, the risk for dental problems increases.

A study conducted in New York showed that among seniors, 15% listed cost as the main barrier to accessing the dental care they need. For the other 85%, transportation was the leading barrier, which in many cases may tie indirectly to financial problems.

Seniors have a 300% greater chance to develop cavities than children and about 30% of all seniors lose their natural teeth. With statistics like these, it is easy to see why it’s so important for seniors to maintain regular dental checkups and cleanings.

A Dental Care Solution for Any Age Group

All too often, when people of any age group find themselves lacking either medical or dental insurance, they go into “wait until something happens” mode. And this can be a very costly mistake.

The need for low-cost or free dental care will increase. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), eight out of ten people believe that taking care of their teeth and gums is a necessity, but only one-third of them say they are doing an excellent job with it.

Because of the recession there are millions of people who are uninsured and can’t afford to see the dentist. Additionally, state funded facilities are finding out that they have to decrease their services or even close because the funding is not there. The needs of the people are placing a strain on the state’s budget.

The important thing is not to panic. When having to go without services that you’ve been accustomed to receiving it can render a feeling of helplessness. Fortunately, we live in a country where there are alternative resources available where you can receive assistance. The real issue becomes how you can afford what is being offered or how to find someone that will offer their services to you for free.

There are some nonprofit organizations and resources who have taken the initiative to fill the gap left by budget cuts and closings for those in need. Unfortunately, the number of people needing assistance far out numbers the available resources.

Many physicians and dentists volunteering around the country to provide dental care to the unemployed, college students and the uninsured as a way to give back to the community. Included in this article are organizations you can search online and contact them for state and nation wide information for volunteers in your area to service your dental needs for a low cost or for free.

Local dental schools: a dental school in your area will often provide dental services for a very low cost and possibly a payment plan option. A dental school is an excellent way to go if you are on a tight budget. Skilled instructors are on hand to oversee the work of the students. For a listing of dental schools around the country, visit the ADA.org website.

Dentistry from the Heart was started to address and publicize the growing number of the uninsured and under-insured people in this country. It became a national nonprofit organization in 2007, with free dental care events all over the country. Since 2001, more than $1 million in free dental care has been provided.

The Dental Health Magazine helps locate free and affordable dental care to those who need it. The site also discusses the latest information in dental products and services.

American Dental Association (ADA.org): search site for free dental care. It will provide several organizations that provide dental care nationwide, but appears to promote programs geared towards children. The ADA is committed to reducing these disparities by supporting initiatives that broaden access to dental care for people who otherwise cannot afford it and encourage more dentists to practice in designated under served areas.

Free Medical Camps.com: provides clients the most recent and up to date information about free Medical and Dental Clinics available in the United States.

Low cost dental plans: Provide discount dental care plans that are affordable with great discount rates for dental care for you and your family. Most plans do not penalize you if you have a preexisting condition. The plan can be activated within 48 hours without long waiting periods. Additional benefits that may be included in the plan are discounts on prescriptions, vision care and more.

It is imperative that you have Internet access because most of these resources are found online. Some of them do not make the evening paper or news. Rather, you may find out about the mobile dental services by networking at clinics or other places that provide assistance for those in need. What’s important is that you don’t give up if you are not able to accomplish obtaining the care you need. Stay positive, focused and proactive in getting the care you need.