An October 2007 article in The New York Times said there are more than 100 million American who lack dental insurance.
Surprising news?…Not by a long shot. Take my family as an example. We are self employed…We pay an astronomical amount of money for health insurance with a high deductible and it does not include dental insurance. Even if it did…Most of the policies have a waiting period.. only cover a very limited amount of work per year (read those policies) and there is no guarantee that the Dentist you use is participating in the plan. Besides all that…The cost is way out of line for the benefits received.
So what happens ? Like the majority of middle class people…We end up with dental bills so high we often have to make the choice between having the work done and paying the mortgage. Even with outstanding credit, most Dentists require payment up front …So what do we paycheck to paycheck folks do if it’s an emergency situation? We put the work on our credit cards and spend a huge portion of our lives paying it off.
I am facing this scenario this week. Another tooth (in the back of my mouth) has cracked so badly it will require a root canal and a crown build-up and then a crown…Price…Almost $3000…Option…Pull the tooth out.
I just finished paying off the extraction of a cracked wisdom tooth. It never ever ends…….
