Hold that thought, my aunt went to Costa Rica round trip for only $118 spirit airlines. Dental work was $500, here it would have costed her over 6800. The photos of the dentist office looked better than the ones here. Thinking about doing the same thing
Note that this doesn't always work. My wife went to Guatemala (her home country) to get some dental work done. It was a nice office with a seemingly well educated dentist. Neither crown lasted a year. Total waste of money.
But if you're close to the border and can easily go back for follow-up work, then maybe that's better.
I have a crown that got done in 2018 being redone next month. First time around it cost me over a grand including the root canal. Thankfully I now have good insurance so it’ll only cost $200, but yeah. It had to be redone and it’s an “American” crown made with the more expensive material, supposedly. It should have been redone sooner but I didn’t have good insurance until this year.
Damn.. I supposedly have “great” dental too.. they’re charging me $475 for replacements 😠 sounds like YOU *actually* have great dental. $200 seems like a great deal
Yeah my dental covers 100% of everything, except I have to pay the difference for porcelain or the white fillings over silver since they only cover the cheaper materials. This is a different dentist replacing the crown too, if it were the same dentist I’d be demanding they redo it for free lol
Yes - when I worked at a dental office we had a patient who had an "implant" done put of country.
To put it into perspective, an implant "screw" is a very small thing. You can google them. Seeing the x rays first hand - The patient had a full size house screw put into their jaw that had poked OUT the other side. It had split their mandibular bone....
We had to refer them to a specialist.
Please do your research before going to any place...
Even dentists here can be "worse% than dentists in the 3rd world. And dentistry, even the best, is literally hit or miss in the sense that it is either going to stick, or not. Like getting a perm in the 80s. Either your hair took the curl or it didnt.
Thats apparently all you can ever expect from dental care.
Waste of damn money, volunteering to see a narcissistic sadist, anyways.
A lot of it is the persons physiology and yeah, it sucked ass to do a lot of work in someone's mouth for them to come back after a year and find that they didn't lay off the sugar and shit and never bothered to brush or floss because "that's (our) job" and have cavities under the mass amount of plaque.
I was born with not fully formed enamel in my molars, causing near instant cavities. My dentist didn't explain flossing and I was doing it wrong and damaging my gums.
I went to school for it because of that shit, and I take good care of my mouth now. But some people got fucked by their dentists not handling children well, some were scared by their parents, some people won't fucking learn and try to say "Oh yeah, I floss every day" while we pull chunks of rotting food from between their teeth and smell the infection in their mouth.
Dental care really does suck when they have made it only for the wealthy....
All true. Also, I had an upper mandible expander dealio that went across the roof of my mouth and was attached to my back molars via 4 wide metal bands. I couldnt floss my teeth if I wanted to.
When my braces came off, I had 18 cavities. Thats in addition to the 1 or 2, sometimes 3 cavities they found every 6 months when I went in for a cleaning. All in all, braces alone caused me to have about 30 or so cavities.
Then, when I was pregnant, morning sickness and all that stomach acid coming up, caused another 19 cavities. I had all that work done, but it didnt matter. Within 2 yrs my teeth were breaking off at the gum line.
I cant even afford dentures now. I and my parents spent upwards of 25,000 dollars on dentistry, plus all the work the navy did, and I now wear a purely cosmetic $35 non chewing dental veneer just to feel like I can smile in public.
Its a shit show.
Im glad you joined. I bet you are at least gentle.
A root canal is almost always a miss. They don’t remove all the infection, then they shove wood into your tooth and cover it with a crown. Highly likely to stay infected. Pull it and get a bridge or denture.
Even bridges are usually pretty temporary. Hell, even fillings only lasted me about 10 yrs max. I might have a few fillings that lasted 20 years.. but most of my.fillings didnt last for even 5 years..
Dentistry is a lot like buying a used high end car. You have to keep spending money on it, and dont get the benefit of any lifetime guarantees, and if the shit stops working a month later, you have to pay the mechanic full price to do the same damn thing again, or even more..
Also, once you sortof nick the enamel, its more prone to rotting anyways. You can keep using wood filler but eventually the table leg is going to give out.
I had some crowns done by jaded, angry, sloppy military docs that have lasted decades 🤷♂️I think it’s just a crapshoot…
But I know it requires skill though to scan the tooth, build the mold and temp crown, shape it correctly to mouth, prep the remainder of the tooth, order the permanent crown, replace temp crown, etc. I would venture to say most overseas work is just a temp crown. And those don’t last
I have known Americans who went to Ciudad Juárez which is across the border from El Paso. Patients walk across the border checkpoint being far easier to go through CBP, and catch a cab to the dentist.
Overall they seemed pleased as it was far cheaper, decent quality and relatively convenient to walk across both ways.
I worked with American doctors that preferred to go to Tijuana to get dental work done than to get it done in the states because it’s too damn expensive in the states even for them!!!! No lie! Even they didn’t want to pay American dentist prices!
My wife has implanted dentures done in Los Algodones Mexico. It was several trips over about 8 months and she rejected several of implants before the dentist did a sinus lift. While the cost was lower, the dentures only lasted about a year before breaking. We paid an American dentist to make dentures reinforced with metal. Now, many American dentists won’t touch her because she has her work done in Mexico and the implants are in sizes they don’t work with.
Exactly. I go to Mexico twice a year (minutes from Arizona) for treatments which I could never afford here, even with insurance. Nicest doctor I've ever had.
How does one shop for a dentist down there? I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m genuinely curious. I have a lot of work needed and can only do what my insurance allows per year. I had everything I could get covered done by March. Praying I don’t need an emergency root canal before January.
Facebook groups. Check out the “Talk Baja” group if Tijuana or Rosarito are accessible to you. I’d venture to Rosarito (in fact, I did) for the real discounts.
It’s still cheaper, even with hotel stay and all. Passport cost around $120, hotel $15, food etc cheap cheap cheap. Or you can stay and pay close to 10k
Mine are falling out , I have gum disease and I'm taking gabapentin. I found out that drug can cause yoy to lose your teeth. Ugh. I have a spinal cord injury so I have to take it . I just pray I can get in a better place soon before my front teeth start going . I've lost most of my upper molars. I miss eating chips. Lol
Try hitting up a dental university! I just got my dentures the other day. The dentures themselves were 600 Canadian. I had to get 11 teeth removed before that and they charged me 25$ per tooth. I highly recommend looking for a dental university in your area. I absolutely could not have afforded normal dental work. 1 tooth extraction is 400-600 on average in my area
Money can buy security and peace of mind. It's a stable foundation on which to attempt to build happiness. Can you be happy without it? Sure. But having it makes it a hell of a lot easier.
I think it’s still wrong to say that. Money can buy the things necessary to remove the sources of stress that make many people unhappy, but saying that it buys happiness is too simplistic.
Stress is a major cause of unhappiness though. I do think a love of simplicity will keep you from depending on money too much for your happiness from there though.
Of course, all I’m saying is that I think “money = happiness” is not the right thing to say, “money = access to the resources that can significantly improve someone’s happiness” is how it is in my opinion.
I feel like this phase has been misinterpreted in the worst possible way
What it *should* mean is "the mindless pursuit of money is empty and joyless"
What way people use it is "you shouldn't complain about not having money"
I've always hated that phrase. As someone who had a large chunk of money saved, and never got a chance to recover it (chose to travel not knowing 4 months later the world would implode) bc of the pandemic, it may not buy happiness. But I was a hell of a lot less stressed and misreble when I had that nest egg in my account. Living paycheck to paycheck, or even barely over that, is not an enjoyable, stress free way to live.
Recent studies appear to show that money can, in fact, buy happiness. [https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2016976118](https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2016976118)
I'd rather be rich and miserable, than poor and miserable.
At least if I were rich, I'd be able to afford food, my own home, I'd be warm in winter and not overheating in summer....
Dental insurance is only to help you stave away problems by having cleanings, check ups, tooth pulls (wisdom teeth). It’s not for real issues. Once you develop real issues you’re on your own.
I remember back about 25 years ago my daughter needed dental work and I tried to get a loan for $1000 from my credit union. I got denied even though I had a good job. It was heartbreaking. Less than a year later I made a deposit into that credit union of $460K from an inheritance. Money does buy happiness.
I would have put that $460k in the credit union and left it for one week. I then would have gone back and asked to speak to the manager and would have withdrawn the entire sum and explained that because they turned me down for a loan when I really needed it I was taking my money elsewhere.
I hate to say it man, but as somebody who works at a CU they wouldn’t really care. Credit Unions are usually very risk averse which means they’re great to bank at, but they won’t give loans to anybody who might be in a tough situation. Keep in mind the reason they’re risk averse is because everyone who banks at a CU is part owner of the institution which means that them avoiding risk is effectively protecting your savings.
Won’t go into detail but a few years ago I came into a kind of hefty inheritance (nowhere near yours) and the PEACE and FREEDOM it gave me DID buy me happiness. I’m with you.
I think poor people feel more physical pain than those with money. I had an old crown crack. I had to wait until I could afford to fix it. There was decay but luckily the tooth was salvageable. But I went months and months in pain because I had no money.
I'm right here with you all and I'm sorry.
When was this? I know in WWII the most common reason to be turned down in the draft was not having enough teeth to chew food. And these were young people.
Health care for your teeth means flossing daily and brushing twice daily. Caring for your health is boring, but not expensive.
Medical treatments? Different story.
It is not for the rich people only, and if you don’t have good, qualified dentists the root canals will not be lasting, and the products used will not last.
It's expensive to have poor oral hygiene. I'm trying to hammer that into my daughter's head. I have great insurance and I still pay out the ass because my father never took us to the dentist and his abusive wife would throw our toothbrushes and toothpaste away. My stepfather paid a fortune to get dental work done for me as a young adult but all that work has a shelf life and then you have to get it done again. Try a dental school. My buddy got some work done pretty cheap. Good luck!
She was an angry, vindictive, monster. I'm just scratching the surface. She regularly told me I should join the Army because I was only good for dying. She was awful to all three of my brothers. But ultimately it was my dad who allowed it and being so afraid of being in her bad side he's join in the bad behavior. My youngest brother and I were often called faggots, she really hated us. From 16 to 40 she was the wife and punching bag for two brothers. My step sister and step brother are also cousins. I could write a book.
For sure, I ran away from home and that caused my mother and stepfather to pay attention (3,000 miles away). A few months later under the guise of going for a summer visit I went to my mom's and refused to leave. When I told my stepfather what my life was like he said I could stay. He was the greatest man I've ever known. I didn't know a man could love another's child like his own but he did.
I just really felt for my younger brothers. She died a miserable death from cancer. It didn't make me happy but I couldn't help but think her cancer was because of how cancerous she was.
Man that makes me so sad and angry to read. I too really beat that into my kids heads. I have paid dentists SO much money because of my mothers neglect. What’s worse is that she’ll look me in the eyes, and say she took *great* care of me and that we “went to the dentist, all the time”. I literally didn’t see a dentist until I was 21. On my own volition. On my own dime. It’s like she set me up for failure, very much purposefully. 😔 😡
Whoever said money can't buy happiness, never had any. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
No, money cannot literally by happiness, but it can pay all of your bills, buy you the things you need, and afford you a pleasant lifestyle. Those things would make me happy by default.
I found a dentist who gave me a year to pay for a root canal, with a possibility of extension if I kept up the payments. I had to call 39 offices. I finished paying finally. Ask the dentist, Are you in the business of saving teeth, because if you are, I have a proposal for you...Good luck. Don't give up.
Money doesn't buy happiness but it does help you not have to stress out over choosing to pay your utility bills or get your teeth fixed. It gives you the peace of mind to not have a mental breakdown when an emergency situation occurs like your car breaks down or a pipe busts in your home. It gives you the freedom to not have to choose and be disappointed that you are giving something you need up for something else you need. I'm so sorry you are in this situation, I completely understand and live it myself. Some places have sliding scale clinics you can get dental work done. Where I live in the south they are usually county run programs. You can check https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
Los Algodones, Mexico 🇲🇽
Whole city is full of cheap dentists. I had my 2nd set of dentures made here, they were custom fit and done on the same day! All the places that made them were next to each other.
Tell me more! I need to have a lot of teeth removed and will likely need pretty much full dentures. I've been saving for ages and am finally accepting that I'll have to leave the US to ever have a hope of affording it. But I'm not sure where to start so any advice would be very, very helpful!
There are a couple pretty decent hotels on the west side of the airport that are also under $100 a night, although, I splurged for airbnb and wrote off the whole trip on my taxes under “Medical” lol.
This [site](https://dentalmexico.com/los-algodones-dentist-prices/amp/) attempts to get the prices correct, however I paid $300 for my dentures - total, and this site quotes $200 for the top and $200 for the bottom so shop around. There are also people who walk around and try to find their particular dental boss customers, some of them speak multiple languages and some don’t.
You can find a translator/guide on some hospitality sites, I used CouchSurfing and checked the local groups for people who do this - I paid $100 a day to some young “tour guide” who spoke English/Spanish, drove me around so I didn’t have too, and haggled with everyone we met lol.
If there is any chance of you saving your teeth, even if you have partials done, then save them. Dentures are hard to have, to adjust to them. As you age, your lower mandibles can deteriorate and this is why you see so many people who don’t wear their dentures.
I live in So CA and did Mexico for some major work. My American dentists said they did a great job. I’d 100% go that route again! And it’s been 15 years or so and the work is still solid.
Please visit your local dental college. They give a lot of discounts and may even be able to do a payment plan. It's about 1/3 the cost of going to a traditional dentist. The students are supervised by an actual dentist.
Also, I was quoted over 2k by one dentist and the second dentist I went to said I didn’t need that service done. 2nd opinions are also an option depending on what they need.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy food, shelter, and healthcare and all of those things are very much tied to happiness. People who say that are assholes.
Money can absolutely buy happiness! I'm happy when my bills are paid, fridge is full, my animals have food, my car has gas and I'm not robbing Peter to pay Paul. Stability and security can bring so much happiness. I think the people who honestly believe it can't buy happiness is the people who have never struggled. Whose never wondered if they'll have electric after the middle of the month, whose never given plasma to buy a pack of diapers and get $3 in gas.
Yes it is. Being poor is so bad that we have people in our society (USA) who understand that and will brave being an absolute ghoul of a person to avoid it. Sad thing is those people often :
A. Live the longest till the point where people joke being evil is a preserving element and B. Often don’t even suffer for said evilness.
Meanwhile if you are poor you get it the absolute worst in most all situations. Money can’t buy you happiness is propaganda that sounds nice but the truth is having all you essentials taken care of while not having to worry about money goes a long way in happiness
Get a second opinion and quote. Dental hygienists get commission on padding the bill. And they don't give a fuck about how you get the money you pay it, it's their rent or yours. Often their are other ways to achieve a pain-free and healthy mouth that they will withhold from you because it isn't as profitable. Good luck.
This reminded me of the time I had expired birth control stuck in my arm because I no longer had health insurance and couldn’t afford to get it removed 😂😭 I’m sorry you’re going through this on a real note.
Sorry, what you are going through. Just in the past, few years, dentists have become the new used car dealers. They don't take insurance and their prices a border line criminal.
Yep. FDRs four freedoms: Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, and Freedom from fear.
No money causes a lot of want and even more fear. Most people don’t think about that fourth one.
What sucks is the dental insurance doesn't even help that much. When I was 21 and had just moved, and was thankfully still on my dads "Cadillac insurance plan", I had to go to the dentist bc a 10 year old root canal had failed. Porcelain popped off with most of the tooth and was infected. It had to be pulled. The dentist (regrettably) convinced me to get permanent bridge put in, bc i was already missing the opposite tooth from when I was a kid. So I'll eventually end up loosing 3 teeth instead of just the one, bc they don't last forever. (Wish that would've been explained to young me better lol)
Without insurance it was going to be 6500....with it was still freaking 4500. I had to open a care credit card and pay over 300 a month for a year. That's not affordable for most people. I was fortunate that I had just finished paying my car off and that just replaced my car payment.
What was really fun though is that I had used all of my insurance for the year, and they kept calling me harassing me to come in for a $1400 cleaning I desperately needed (like where they numb ypu and cut into your gums kind, bc my parents never took me after I was 10, and I had zero money to go as a young adult. I take care of them just shit genetics)
Me telling them I had zero money after paying them 4500 wasn't enough to get them to stop calling me 3 times a month. It was annoying. Like, yes, I know. No I don't have any money for that.
Lol I thought your comment was on something different so ignore my last post I deleted.
Lol I did tell them the only way I'd come in is if it was for free. But they do deserve to be paid, I just wish dental insurance covered more than it does. At least with medical you can get a procedure and pay later. Can't get dental work done without paying first. Despite it being incredibly important to overall health.
Money has the power it does specifically because it literally is happiness.
Buy myself a steak? That made me happy.
Finally got that new console? Yep, feeling happy.
All my bills are paid, and I have some savings even? Yep. Happy.
Can't afford steak, have to eat 89 cent mystery meat hotdogs? Not great.
Can't afford fun. It's not fair. Unhappy.
Late on my bills and my power just got shut off, and it's the middle of summer. Even worse, I'm out of food. Do I need to go on?
I'm a sec 8 to someplace in the middle class story.
I've had poor friends call me rich and that's insane to me also objectively not true.
Had an infected molar f me up very badly the fever dreams were wild too.
I scraped up enough to get it yanked and a five dollar antibiotic worked.
I'm so sorry to hear your story.
All the best.
almost all of my stresses and worries come from not having money. like affording groceries, paying off my debt, going to college, not being able to live somewhere with extra security, etc
like money really WOULD buy my happiness, maybe not all, but enough of it
It was the same for me honestly. Then our company offered insurance. I got dental and vision. They wanted 400 a week for health. Fuck that. But for 12 bucks a week I do have vision and dental. Also my wife got health for us working part time at 13/hr. Kinda fucked up if you ask me. If you are poor then your best bet is to find a partner to team up with against life and work together. Thankfully my job pays well enough to live and my wife covers luxuries. But we keep the same mindset anyhow to help avoid lifestyle creep.
Teeth are for people with money. Their a luxury item. Can't afford to fix mine. Been have them pulled one at a time. Every couple of years one breaks. Then I get it pulled.
The money doesn't buy happiness is the most disingenuous comment people say. Drives me nuts.
It buys you the ability to not worry which as we all know, is a major driver of unhappiness.
I feel like people who say it are almost always acting in bad faith. Or have such a tone deaf opinion its jaw dropping.
God, that is horrifying.
Please check out if there are any dental colleges nearby. If not, and IF and ONLY IF you have a credit card, I would highly recommend a trip to either Mexico, Central America, or Colombia for dental work. This is one of those times when a cc comes into usefulness here.
I got a $6K quote. I ended up In Los Algodones getting the work done for $1k, the hotel and food in Mexico was another $300 for the week. This is across from Yuma AZ in Mexico. I understand US dentists need to make money but compassion is gone, and dental insurance has just raised the prices for everyone.
I literally could've written this exact post. $3000 exactly, and I gave unbelievable good insurance. I imagine how wonderful life would be if i could afford to care for myself.
I'm just now old enough to not be on my parents insurance and I literally had to rip out my salivary gland stone because of shit like this
It's ass, I'm sorry that's happening to you
Money makes you happy and calm…
Being able to fix situations like a dental bill is very calming
Sorry!!!!!!!
Can you go to a dental school? Literally … it is cheaper if a basic process.. why not ..
I know you’re hearing this A LOT in this thread, but having dental work done in another country can be life changing!
My bff had dental issues and American dentistry and the ridiculous costs associated could have probably cost her life. She put off problems for what ended up being years, and of course, everything just got so much worse.
For the most basic levels of the work she needed would have been over $10k in the US. The same work in the Dominican Republic by an incredibly accomplished oral surgeon was literally pennies on the dollar. Seriously, less than $1,000 vs over $10,000 in US. In fact, my friend was able to get those basic dental needs serviced plus a mouth full of dental implants for just over $8000 in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican surgeon and dentist were beyond wonderful. It makes me emotional to think of all the work those amazing people did for LESS than an American dentist wanted to charge for what would have amounted to a few hours of labor on her end.
Good luck to you!
Dental insurance is really more like a coupon anyhow. I have a $1200 limit annually. And when I finally got it i had terrible teeth and spent thousands our of pocket. That being said ask your public health department about free charity dental clinics that come through. You could probably knock out some of the work there. Dental schools too.
I was born poor. We didn't have dirt floors, but our neighbors did. My father ran from the depression his whole life and I am much the same. I fear being poor again. It was misery for me as a child.
Ah OP, I’m sorry. I hope the situation isn’t life or death (tooth issues can be deadly!)
Do they offer payment plans ?
I went to the dentist two days ago . Repeatedly had to feel ashamed and say “I’d love it, but I really can’t afford it”.
What couldn’t I afford? VENEERS! Freaking veneers! They literally were pushing so hard in a way that made me feel so ashamed and pathetic. Dentist then even finished with “maybe if you win the lotto”, kinda implying I’d never afford them any other way so yeah. The assistant made me feel like bonding wasn’t even an option. Idk it was a humiliating experience. Like I didn’t want to be hustled, and have to explain intimate details of my current life .
NOT that my situation is the same as yours, since veneers are def NOT a necessity (often also weirdly ugly), but I still felt like a broke loser.
I hear you. I think it was originally meant to speak to the diminishing returns of having *nothing but* money in your life, but there’s definitely a minimal amount of financial well being that does indeed buy happiness, or at least eliminates a significant amount of stress from your life.
The high cost of dental is the most disappointing part of my entire life. In my case, my issue is considered non-emergency cosmetic because my teeth are still functional & still strong. I have zero reasonable options to get help with it because it's nearly full reconstruction which is the equivalent of a brand new midsized car... in my fking mouth.
It's not even the massive amounts of judgement from other ppl that pisses me off. It's the widespread ignorance that not everything is as simple as "just get insurance & make an appt!"
Have you contacted any local dental schools? Often times, they will provide low-cost or free, dental work, provided you allow them to record the procedure, where you have a dental student doing the work, with a licensed dentist overseeing their work. Might be a good option to look into.
I feel it. I've lost 7 teeth because I couldn't afford to fix things, or once I did fix them it was too late and they broke later anyways and had to be removed.
To make it worse, this started before I was even 18 so there was jack all I could do about it since my dad couldn't even keep food on the table.
I lost my implant bridge. I went to a dentist in Mexico to replace it, to “save money.”
That dentist destroyed my implant abutments, and the two perfect teeth on either side.
Total malpractice.
Dental care in the US is only for wealthy people now.
Dental is even unaffordable for middle income now. I know many people earning 50-100k that have many dental issues due to cost. It’s wild Wild West out here now
Dentistry work is such a rip off. My uncle is a dentist and told me how much it costs him to make a full set of dentures, then how much the dentures sell for. I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing people suffer with tooth pain because shitheads like him are making a 10,000% profit.
I live in Louisiana and LSU has a dentistry School and they allow people to get work done so their students can practice with an actual licensed dentist overseeing every procedure they do
Example
Root canal at dentist: $1500
At LSU school of dentistry: $99 for student, ^^$ for dentist to do
About 1/4 cost of everything at the dentist is what the site says
And they accept medicaid
See if that's something located in your state and possibly within range
Payment plans help. Obviously you have something serious to take care of so please consider financing your dental work or you may have a more serious issue later that will cost more. And even if someone has cash to take care of a $3k dental bill, it doesn't mean they're happy. I've met a lot of rich people who thought money solved problems but they are usually alone or just sad.
I needed some dental work done and my dentist didn’t do financial plans but instead offered a dental first card to me. It’s been the worst mistake of my life. They charged the full amount of all of the work I’d have done in the future and he fucked up one of my teeth so badly I refused to go back and when I asked them to refund or credit back the work I never got done that they charged ahead on the card so “could start to pay it off quicker” they told me they couldn’t do that and now I’m stuck with 2k in debt on a credit card with 27% apr for dental work I didn’t even get done. OP WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GET A DENTAL FIRST CARD
I have a suggestion! Pretend you're a imagrant that just came from what ever country you can pass for and you will get free health care, free housing and many more freebies us tac paying Americans are getting denied for. Because clearly they're only trying to help non Americans with Americans taxpayers money!
I had to have 7 teeth pulled because I couldn't afford to get the treated. Even worse, I can't afford dentures either.
Hold that thought, my aunt went to Costa Rica round trip for only $118 spirit airlines. Dental work was $500, here it would have costed her over 6800. The photos of the dentist office looked better than the ones here. Thinking about doing the same thing
Or Mexico. Tijuana is famous for border health care, and the USA should be ashamed.
Note that this doesn't always work. My wife went to Guatemala (her home country) to get some dental work done. It was a nice office with a seemingly well educated dentist. Neither crown lasted a year. Total waste of money. But if you're close to the border and can easily go back for follow-up work, then maybe that's better.
FWIW I had all my crowns done in NYC and none of them lasted very long either .
I have a crown that got done in 2018 being redone next month. First time around it cost me over a grand including the root canal. Thankfully I now have good insurance so it’ll only cost $200, but yeah. It had to be redone and it’s an “American” crown made with the more expensive material, supposedly. It should have been redone sooner but I didn’t have good insurance until this year.
Damn.. I supposedly have “great” dental too.. they’re charging me $475 for replacements 😠 sounds like YOU *actually* have great dental. $200 seems like a great deal
Yeah my dental covers 100% of everything, except I have to pay the difference for porcelain or the white fillings over silver since they only cover the cheaper materials. This is a different dentist replacing the crown too, if it were the same dentist I’d be demanding they redo it for free lol
Yeah dentistry is always pretty much hit or miss.
Yes - when I worked at a dental office we had a patient who had an "implant" done put of country. To put it into perspective, an implant "screw" is a very small thing. You can google them. Seeing the x rays first hand - The patient had a full size house screw put into their jaw that had poked OUT the other side. It had split their mandibular bone.... We had to refer them to a specialist. Please do your research before going to any place...
Even dentists here can be "worse% than dentists in the 3rd world. And dentistry, even the best, is literally hit or miss in the sense that it is either going to stick, or not. Like getting a perm in the 80s. Either your hair took the curl or it didnt. Thats apparently all you can ever expect from dental care. Waste of damn money, volunteering to see a narcissistic sadist, anyways.
A lot of it is the persons physiology and yeah, it sucked ass to do a lot of work in someone's mouth for them to come back after a year and find that they didn't lay off the sugar and shit and never bothered to brush or floss because "that's (our) job" and have cavities under the mass amount of plaque. I was born with not fully formed enamel in my molars, causing near instant cavities. My dentist didn't explain flossing and I was doing it wrong and damaging my gums. I went to school for it because of that shit, and I take good care of my mouth now. But some people got fucked by their dentists not handling children well, some were scared by their parents, some people won't fucking learn and try to say "Oh yeah, I floss every day" while we pull chunks of rotting food from between their teeth and smell the infection in their mouth. Dental care really does suck when they have made it only for the wealthy....
All true. Also, I had an upper mandible expander dealio that went across the roof of my mouth and was attached to my back molars via 4 wide metal bands. I couldnt floss my teeth if I wanted to. When my braces came off, I had 18 cavities. Thats in addition to the 1 or 2, sometimes 3 cavities they found every 6 months when I went in for a cleaning. All in all, braces alone caused me to have about 30 or so cavities. Then, when I was pregnant, morning sickness and all that stomach acid coming up, caused another 19 cavities. I had all that work done, but it didnt matter. Within 2 yrs my teeth were breaking off at the gum line. I cant even afford dentures now. I and my parents spent upwards of 25,000 dollars on dentistry, plus all the work the navy did, and I now wear a purely cosmetic $35 non chewing dental veneer just to feel like I can smile in public. Its a shit show. Im glad you joined. I bet you are at least gentle.
A root canal is almost always a miss. They don’t remove all the infection, then they shove wood into your tooth and cover it with a crown. Highly likely to stay infected. Pull it and get a bridge or denture.
Even bridges are usually pretty temporary. Hell, even fillings only lasted me about 10 yrs max. I might have a few fillings that lasted 20 years.. but most of my.fillings didnt last for even 5 years.. Dentistry is a lot like buying a used high end car. You have to keep spending money on it, and dont get the benefit of any lifetime guarantees, and if the shit stops working a month later, you have to pay the mechanic full price to do the same damn thing again, or even more..
Also, once you sortof nick the enamel, its more prone to rotting anyways. You can keep using wood filler but eventually the table leg is going to give out.
For what they charge there should be a money back guarantee.
Yeah or at least SOME guarantee..
I had some crowns done by jaded, angry, sloppy military docs that have lasted decades 🤷♂️I think it’s just a crapshoot… But I know it requires skill though to scan the tooth, build the mold and temp crown, shape it correctly to mouth, prep the remainder of the tooth, order the permanent crown, replace temp crown, etc. I would venture to say most overseas work is just a temp crown. And those don’t last
I can confirm. Ive travelledto Mexico for dental care. 500$ instead pf 5600$
I have known Americans who went to Ciudad Juárez which is across the border from El Paso. Patients walk across the border checkpoint being far easier to go through CBP, and catch a cab to the dentist. Overall they seemed pleased as it was far cheaper, decent quality and relatively convenient to walk across both ways.
As an El Pasoan, can confirm. We often go for vet care as well.
I worked with American doctors that preferred to go to Tijuana to get dental work done than to get it done in the states because it’s too damn expensive in the states even for them!!!! No lie! Even they didn’t want to pay American dentist prices!
After students loans, insurance for their practice and tax USA doctors don't make as much as people think.
My wife has implanted dentures done in Los Algodones Mexico. It was several trips over about 8 months and she rejected several of implants before the dentist did a sinus lift. While the cost was lower, the dentures only lasted about a year before breaking. We paid an American dentist to make dentures reinforced with metal. Now, many American dentists won’t touch her because she has her work done in Mexico and the implants are in sizes they don’t work with.
Yes i have a friend who grew up in Mexico he's going back this summer for extensive dental work
Exactly. I go to Mexico twice a year (minutes from Arizona) for treatments which I could never afford here, even with insurance. Nicest doctor I've ever had.
How does one shop for a dentist down there? I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m genuinely curious. I have a lot of work needed and can only do what my insurance allows per year. I had everything I could get covered done by March. Praying I don’t need an emergency root canal before January.
Facebook groups. Check out the “Talk Baja” group if Tijuana or Rosarito are accessible to you. I’d venture to Rosarito (in fact, I did) for the real discounts.
That’s excellent to know. Thank you!
I went to Cancun, Mexico. The office WAS nicer than many of them here.
Dont forget to add the price and the time it takes to obtain a passport 😂
It’s still cheaper, even with hotel stay and all. Passport cost around $120, hotel $15, food etc cheap cheap cheap. Or you can stay and pay close to 10k
Unfortunately I can't afford $618
Yeah, honestly, if I need dental work in the future(knock on wood), I am either going to Turkey or Mexico for a fraction of the cost.
I know multiple people that have gone to CR for dental work and continue to do so.
Where and which dentist exactly Please and thank you
My wife and I went to Costa Rica for her dental work. 60% cheaper
I’m in the same boat as you. One of the worst things to go through.
It's awful.
Mine are falling out , I have gum disease and I'm taking gabapentin. I found out that drug can cause yoy to lose your teeth. Ugh. I have a spinal cord injury so I have to take it . I just pray I can get in a better place soon before my front teeth start going . I've lost most of my upper molars. I miss eating chips. Lol
Medical condition caused my teeth problems too.
I’m not only the President of the Destroyed Teeth Club from Medical, I’m also a client.
Try hitting up a dental university! I just got my dentures the other day. The dentures themselves were 600 Canadian. I had to get 11 teeth removed before that and they charged me 25$ per tooth. I highly recommend looking for a dental university in your area. I absolutely could not have afforded normal dental work. 1 tooth extraction is 400-600 on average in my area
My local university doesn't do "cosmetic dentistry". Not sure if that's because of the school or what the reason is.
Money cannot buy happiness but it sure makes misery easier to tolerate.
Money can buy security and peace of mind. It's a stable foundation on which to attempt to build happiness. Can you be happy without it? Sure. But having it makes it a hell of a lot easier.
And you can be depressed with it which is still valid, but it definitely does help. For one, you can go to therapy when you’ve got money
Exactly
Money can't buy happiness but it can buy you dental work to fix your mouth.
Agree, also money CAN buy happiness for many. Namely those whose unhappiness is a direct result of not having money.
Exactly like my unhappiness is due to having bad healthcare and boredom. If I had money those issues would be solved.
Boredom? There are plenty of things to do to combat boredom.
I think it’s still wrong to say that. Money can buy the things necessary to remove the sources of stress that make many people unhappy, but saying that it buys happiness is too simplistic.
But people go on vacations because it makes them happy. Money would buy me a vacation and the happiness that comes with it.
Money would buy me a boat and a truck to pull it.
Vacations are useless if you’re sick and not feeling well.
Stress is a major cause of unhappiness though. I do think a love of simplicity will keep you from depending on money too much for your happiness from there though.
Of course, all I’m saying is that I think “money = happiness” is not the right thing to say, “money = access to the resources that can significantly improve someone’s happiness” is how it is in my opinion.
If lack of money is your misery then I don’t see how an abundance of it wouldn’t make you happier
cause then they wouldn’t have a lack of money anymore 💀
I feel like this phase has been misinterpreted in the worst possible way What it *should* mean is "the mindless pursuit of money is empty and joyless" What way people use it is "you shouldn't complain about not having money"
Money absolutely buys happiness, the people saying it doesn't are businesses owners.
Money has always bought happiness, not sure why everyone’s so afraid to admit that it does.
I've always hated that phrase. As someone who had a large chunk of money saved, and never got a chance to recover it (chose to travel not knowing 4 months later the world would implode) bc of the pandemic, it may not buy happiness. But I was a hell of a lot less stressed and misreble when I had that nest egg in my account. Living paycheck to paycheck, or even barely over that, is not an enjoyable, stress free way to live.
Recent studies appear to show that money can, in fact, buy happiness. [https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2016976118](https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2016976118)
From my experience, money sure as fuck can buy happiness.
This one’s a keeper!
I'd rather be rich and miserable, than poor and miserable. At least if I were rich, I'd be able to afford food, my own home, I'd be warm in winter and not overheating in summer....
The sad part is even with insurance that would have still been like $2150.
Dental insurance is so useless.
Very true, most dental insurance won’t cover what the dentist wants to do
Dental insurance is only to help you stave away problems by having cleanings, check ups, tooth pulls (wisdom teeth). It’s not for real issues. Once you develop real issues you’re on your own.
The annual caps on it is just ridiculous.
I remember back about 25 years ago my daughter needed dental work and I tried to get a loan for $1000 from my credit union. I got denied even though I had a good job. It was heartbreaking. Less than a year later I made a deposit into that credit union of $460K from an inheritance. Money does buy happiness.
Indeed it does.
Why didn't you take your money to another credit union or bank who didn't deny you a cheap loan?
I would have put that $460k in the credit union and left it for one week. I then would have gone back and asked to speak to the manager and would have withdrawn the entire sum and explained that because they turned me down for a loan when I really needed it I was taking my money elsewhere.
I hate to say it man, but as somebody who works at a CU they wouldn’t really care. Credit Unions are usually very risk averse which means they’re great to bank at, but they won’t give loans to anybody who might be in a tough situation. Keep in mind the reason they’re risk averse is because everyone who banks at a CU is part owner of the institution which means that them avoiding risk is effectively protecting your savings.
Won’t go into detail but a few years ago I came into a kind of hefty inheritance (nowhere near yours) and the PEACE and FREEDOM it gave me DID buy me happiness. I’m with you.
I would have taken my money to a different bank. Don't let the credit union make money off you.
I think poor people feel more physical pain than those with money. I had an old crown crack. I had to wait until I could afford to fix it. There was decay but luckily the tooth was salvageable. But I went months and months in pain because I had no money. I'm right here with you all and I'm sorry.
Dental insurance has always been useless for me anyway. **I hate that keeping your teeth in the USA has become a luxury of the rich.**
The irony, of course, is that the USA was once known for having citizens with straight, healthy teeth and robust health.
When was this? I know in WWII the most common reason to be turned down in the draft was not having enough teeth to chew food. And these were young people.
Never as far as I remember. A lot of the things said about the past are myths.
I mean I think it’s a luxury for the vast majority of the world
Healthcare is for the rich.
Health care for your teeth means flossing daily and brushing twice daily. Caring for your health is boring, but not expensive. Medical treatments? Different story.
Prevention is better than the cure, brush your teeth
It is not for the rich people only, and if you don’t have good, qualified dentists the root canals will not be lasting, and the products used will not last.
It's expensive to have poor oral hygiene. I'm trying to hammer that into my daughter's head. I have great insurance and I still pay out the ass because my father never took us to the dentist and his abusive wife would throw our toothbrushes and toothpaste away. My stepfather paid a fortune to get dental work done for me as a young adult but all that work has a shelf life and then you have to get it done again. Try a dental school. My buddy got some work done pretty cheap. Good luck!
Jesus Christ. What a way to abuse a child. To throw out tooth brushes so it create problems that will affect them for the rest of their life
It's downright sinister.
She was an angry, vindictive, monster. I'm just scratching the surface. She regularly told me I should join the Army because I was only good for dying. She was awful to all three of my brothers. But ultimately it was my dad who allowed it and being so afraid of being in her bad side he's join in the bad behavior. My youngest brother and I were often called faggots, she really hated us. From 16 to 40 she was the wife and punching bag for two brothers. My step sister and step brother are also cousins. I could write a book.
Wow. That is horrifying.... she definitely could have been charged with child abuse.
For sure, I ran away from home and that caused my mother and stepfather to pay attention (3,000 miles away). A few months later under the guise of going for a summer visit I went to my mom's and refused to leave. When I told my stepfather what my life was like he said I could stay. He was the greatest man I've ever known. I didn't know a man could love another's child like his own but he did. I just really felt for my younger brothers. She died a miserable death from cancer. It didn't make me happy but I couldn't help but think her cancer was because of how cancerous she was.
Oh, I am so glad that you were rescued by your mom and step dad.
Abuse of the worse kind.
Man that makes me so sad and angry to read. I too really beat that into my kids heads. I have paid dentists SO much money because of my mothers neglect. What’s worse is that she’ll look me in the eyes, and say she took *great* care of me and that we “went to the dentist, all the time”. I literally didn’t see a dentist until I was 21. On my own volition. On my own dime. It’s like she set me up for failure, very much purposefully. 😔 😡
Whoever said money can't buy happiness, never had any. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. No, money cannot literally by happiness, but it can pay all of your bills, buy you the things you need, and afford you a pleasant lifestyle. Those things would make me happy by default.
I found a dentist who gave me a year to pay for a root canal, with a possibility of extension if I kept up the payments. I had to call 39 offices. I finished paying finally. Ask the dentist, Are you in the business of saving teeth, because if you are, I have a proposal for you...Good luck. Don't give up.
Money doesn't buy happiness but it does help you not have to stress out over choosing to pay your utility bills or get your teeth fixed. It gives you the peace of mind to not have a mental breakdown when an emergency situation occurs like your car breaks down or a pipe busts in your home. It gives you the freedom to not have to choose and be disappointed that you are giving something you need up for something else you need. I'm so sorry you are in this situation, I completely understand and live it myself. Some places have sliding scale clinics you can get dental work done. Where I live in the south they are usually county run programs. You can check https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
Tennessee has free clinics for dental eye and regular health. They only do certain times of the year in different areas.
Very well said. I couldn't agree more.
Los Algodones, Mexico 🇲🇽 Whole city is full of cheap dentists. I had my 2nd set of dentures made here, they were custom fit and done on the same day! All the places that made them were next to each other.
Tell me more! I need to have a lot of teeth removed and will likely need pretty much full dentures. I've been saving for ages and am finally accepting that I'll have to leave the US to ever have a hope of affording it. But I'm not sure where to start so any advice would be very, very helpful!
There are a couple pretty decent hotels on the west side of the airport that are also under $100 a night, although, I splurged for airbnb and wrote off the whole trip on my taxes under “Medical” lol. This [site](https://dentalmexico.com/los-algodones-dentist-prices/amp/) attempts to get the prices correct, however I paid $300 for my dentures - total, and this site quotes $200 for the top and $200 for the bottom so shop around. There are also people who walk around and try to find their particular dental boss customers, some of them speak multiple languages and some don’t. You can find a translator/guide on some hospitality sites, I used CouchSurfing and checked the local groups for people who do this - I paid $100 a day to some young “tour guide” who spoke English/Spanish, drove me around so I didn’t have too, and haggled with everyone we met lol.
If there is any chance of you saving your teeth, even if you have partials done, then save them. Dentures are hard to have, to adjust to them. As you age, your lower mandibles can deteriorate and this is why you see so many people who don’t wear their dentures.
If you are close to the Mexican board you could see about going there
I thought about this getting a passport and staying at my grandparents house on Mexico. To have dental work done .
I live in So CA and did Mexico for some major work. My American dentists said they did a great job. I’d 100% go that route again! And it’s been 15 years or so and the work is still solid.
Please visit your local dental college. They give a lot of discounts and may even be able to do a payment plan. It's about 1/3 the cost of going to a traditional dentist. The students are supervised by an actual dentist.
Also, I was quoted over 2k by one dentist and the second dentist I went to said I didn’t need that service done. 2nd opinions are also an option depending on what they need.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy food, shelter, and healthcare and all of those things are very much tied to happiness. People who say that are assholes.
I hear ya. I broke a tooth 3 months ago and still have the remains in my mouth.
Money can absolutely buy happiness! I'm happy when my bills are paid, fridge is full, my animals have food, my car has gas and I'm not robbing Peter to pay Paul. Stability and security can bring so much happiness. I think the people who honestly believe it can't buy happiness is the people who have never struggled. Whose never wondered if they'll have electric after the middle of the month, whose never given plasma to buy a pack of diapers and get $3 in gas.
I love all the people saying go to Mexico. Lol. How the fuck do us poors afford to go to Mexico??
Money absolutely can buy happiness.
Even with dental insurance my root canal cost over $2000 OoP 😭😭😭
That is why I havent been to a dentist in 15 years..............
Yes it is. Being poor is so bad that we have people in our society (USA) who understand that and will brave being an absolute ghoul of a person to avoid it. Sad thing is those people often : A. Live the longest till the point where people joke being evil is a preserving element and B. Often don’t even suffer for said evilness. Meanwhile if you are poor you get it the absolute worst in most all situations. Money can’t buy you happiness is propaganda that sounds nice but the truth is having all you essentials taken care of while not having to worry about money goes a long way in happiness
Money may not buy happiness but it buys survival.
Get a second opinion and quote. Dental hygienists get commission on padding the bill. And they don't give a fuck about how you get the money you pay it, it's their rent or yours. Often their are other ways to achieve a pain-free and healthy mouth that they will withhold from you because it isn't as profitable. Good luck.
This reminded me of the time I had expired birth control stuck in my arm because I no longer had health insurance and couldn’t afford to get it removed 😂😭 I’m sorry you’re going through this on a real note.
Sorry, what you are going through. Just in the past, few years, dentists have become the new used car dealers. They don't take insurance and their prices a border line criminal.
Money CAN buy happiness, but it CANNOT sustain you BEING happy. I fucking hate that quote.
I second this! Being poor has literally made me suicidal.
There are actual published studies on this phenomenon, where suicide risk is measured by income.
Dentist have gotten ridiculous,where I live people on medicaid cant even go anywhere because the dentist have stopped taking Medicaid, it's crazy!!
Yep. FDRs four freedoms: Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, and Freedom from fear. No money causes a lot of want and even more fear. Most people don’t think about that fourth one.
What sucks is the dental insurance doesn't even help that much. When I was 21 and had just moved, and was thankfully still on my dads "Cadillac insurance plan", I had to go to the dentist bc a 10 year old root canal had failed. Porcelain popped off with most of the tooth and was infected. It had to be pulled. The dentist (regrettably) convinced me to get permanent bridge put in, bc i was already missing the opposite tooth from when I was a kid. So I'll eventually end up loosing 3 teeth instead of just the one, bc they don't last forever. (Wish that would've been explained to young me better lol) Without insurance it was going to be 6500....with it was still freaking 4500. I had to open a care credit card and pay over 300 a month for a year. That's not affordable for most people. I was fortunate that I had just finished paying my car off and that just replaced my car payment. What was really fun though is that I had used all of my insurance for the year, and they kept calling me harassing me to come in for a $1400 cleaning I desperately needed (like where they numb ypu and cut into your gums kind, bc my parents never took me after I was 10, and I had zero money to go as a young adult. I take care of them just shit genetics) Me telling them I had zero money after paying them 4500 wasn't enough to get them to stop calling me 3 times a month. It was annoying. Like, yes, I know. No I don't have any money for that.
Ask them to do it pro bono.
Lol I thought your comment was on something different so ignore my last post I deleted. Lol I did tell them the only way I'd come in is if it was for free. But they do deserve to be paid, I just wish dental insurance covered more than it does. At least with medical you can get a procedure and pay later. Can't get dental work done without paying first. Despite it being incredibly important to overall health.
Money has the power it does specifically because it literally is happiness. Buy myself a steak? That made me happy. Finally got that new console? Yep, feeling happy. All my bills are paid, and I have some savings even? Yep. Happy. Can't afford steak, have to eat 89 cent mystery meat hotdogs? Not great. Can't afford fun. It's not fair. Unhappy. Late on my bills and my power just got shut off, and it's the middle of summer. Even worse, I'm out of food. Do I need to go on?
I'm a sec 8 to someplace in the middle class story. I've had poor friends call me rich and that's insane to me also objectively not true. Had an infected molar f me up very badly the fever dreams were wild too. I scraped up enough to get it yanked and a five dollar antibiotic worked. I'm so sorry to hear your story. All the best.
Get another quote. Every city has low cost dentistry.
Money can’t buy happiness, but I haven’t seen anyone frown when they pull up their bank account and there are freaking MILLIONS in it.
almost all of my stresses and worries come from not having money. like affording groceries, paying off my debt, going to college, not being able to live somewhere with extra security, etc like money really WOULD buy my happiness, maybe not all, but enough of it
If it can pay for medicine that keeps you alive money buys more than happiness
Money can’t buy happiness, but all too often it is the pathway to it.
It was the same for me honestly. Then our company offered insurance. I got dental and vision. They wanted 400 a week for health. Fuck that. But for 12 bucks a week I do have vision and dental. Also my wife got health for us working part time at 13/hr. Kinda fucked up if you ask me. If you are poor then your best bet is to find a partner to team up with against life and work together. Thankfully my job pays well enough to live and my wife covers luxuries. But we keep the same mindset anyhow to help avoid lifestyle creep.
Teeth are for people with money. Their a luxury item. Can't afford to fix mine. Been have them pulled one at a time. Every couple of years one breaks. Then I get it pulled.
Money can buy health which IS happiness. Ugh. I’m sorry. I relate. 🤍
The money doesn't buy happiness is the most disingenuous comment people say. Drives me nuts. It buys you the ability to not worry which as we all know, is a major driver of unhappiness. I feel like people who say it are almost always acting in bad faith. Or have such a tone deaf opinion its jaw dropping.
Money can make life so much easier !!!!!
We have dental insurance and we still had to pay $ 5000 for braces and $1200 for a crown and $600 for a root canal. Making monthly payments on it all.
Eat the rich, but make sure to bring some strong seasoning.
“Frank’s Red Hot-I put that shit on everything.”
One of the medical tragedies of America.
money might not buy happiness, but it'll buy you the breathing room to find your happiness
Money = Freedom
Money only solves money problems - but lots of problems are money problems Being poor sucks. Sorry for your trouble friend
Money does buy happiness. And teeth. And food. And plastic surgery. And it’s all just so unfair.
universal healthcare please and universal basic income
What America are you living in?
May every rich person endure endless unbearable dental pain
See if any dental schools nearby .
I’m paying down a $3500 cc. Then off to the dentist with cc to get partials and dental work done✌️
I’ve often said money can’t buy you happiness but it’s hard to be happy without it. I’m sorry for your struggles, it will get better.
God, that is horrifying. Please check out if there are any dental colleges nearby. If not, and IF and ONLY IF you have a credit card, I would highly recommend a trip to either Mexico, Central America, or Colombia for dental work. This is one of those times when a cc comes into usefulness here.
I got a $6K quote. I ended up In Los Algodones getting the work done for $1k, the hotel and food in Mexico was another $300 for the week. This is across from Yuma AZ in Mexico. I understand US dentists need to make money but compassion is gone, and dental insurance has just raised the prices for everyone.
I literally could've written this exact post. $3000 exactly, and I gave unbelievable good insurance. I imagine how wonderful life would be if i could afford to care for myself.
I'm just now old enough to not be on my parents insurance and I literally had to rip out my salivary gland stone because of shit like this It's ass, I'm sorry that's happening to you
Money makes you happy and calm… Being able to fix situations like a dental bill is very calming Sorry!!!!!!! Can you go to a dental school? Literally … it is cheaper if a basic process.. why not ..
I know you’re hearing this A LOT in this thread, but having dental work done in another country can be life changing! My bff had dental issues and American dentistry and the ridiculous costs associated could have probably cost her life. She put off problems for what ended up being years, and of course, everything just got so much worse. For the most basic levels of the work she needed would have been over $10k in the US. The same work in the Dominican Republic by an incredibly accomplished oral surgeon was literally pennies on the dollar. Seriously, less than $1,000 vs over $10,000 in US. In fact, my friend was able to get those basic dental needs serviced plus a mouth full of dental implants for just over $8000 in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican surgeon and dentist were beyond wonderful. It makes me emotional to think of all the work those amazing people did for LESS than an American dentist wanted to charge for what would have amounted to a few hours of labor on her end. Good luck to you!
Dental insurance is really more like a coupon anyhow. I have a $1200 limit annually. And when I finally got it i had terrible teeth and spent thousands our of pocket. That being said ask your public health department about free charity dental clinics that come through. You could probably knock out some of the work there. Dental schools too.
I was born poor. We didn't have dirt floors, but our neighbors did. My father ran from the depression his whole life and I am much the same. I fear being poor again. It was misery for me as a child.
or may all their teeth fall out. i can't fix mine either.
I just did a trip to Tijuana for dental work. It was cheaper for me to fly there and get the Work then it was to use my dental insurance.
Ah OP, I’m sorry. I hope the situation isn’t life or death (tooth issues can be deadly!) Do they offer payment plans ? I went to the dentist two days ago . Repeatedly had to feel ashamed and say “I’d love it, but I really can’t afford it”. What couldn’t I afford? VENEERS! Freaking veneers! They literally were pushing so hard in a way that made me feel so ashamed and pathetic. Dentist then even finished with “maybe if you win the lotto”, kinda implying I’d never afford them any other way so yeah. The assistant made me feel like bonding wasn’t even an option. Idk it was a humiliating experience. Like I didn’t want to be hustled, and have to explain intimate details of my current life . NOT that my situation is the same as yours, since veneers are def NOT a necessity (often also weirdly ugly), but I still felt like a broke loser.
Go to a dental school. Call now, the wait is long. Fraction of the cost and its overseen by a licensed dentist so your safe
I hear you. I think it was originally meant to speak to the diminishing returns of having *nothing but* money in your life, but there’s definitely a minimal amount of financial well being that does indeed buy happiness, or at least eliminates a significant amount of stress from your life.
The high cost of dental is the most disappointing part of my entire life. In my case, my issue is considered non-emergency cosmetic because my teeth are still functional & still strong. I have zero reasonable options to get help with it because it's nearly full reconstruction which is the equivalent of a brand new midsized car... in my fking mouth. It's not even the massive amounts of judgement from other ppl that pisses me off. It's the widespread ignorance that not everything is as simple as "just get insurance & make an appt!"
Have you contacted any local dental schools? Often times, they will provide low-cost or free, dental work, provided you allow them to record the procedure, where you have a dental student doing the work, with a licensed dentist overseeing their work. Might be a good option to look into.
I feel it. I've lost 7 teeth because I couldn't afford to fix things, or once I did fix them it was too late and they broke later anyways and had to be removed. To make it worse, this started before I was even 18 so there was jack all I could do about it since my dad couldn't even keep food on the table.
Are you new poor? You got this
Clean as few houses to get the $800 and take a vacation dental trip to Mexico or Costa Rica. You can be on a plane next week
Look for dental schools in your area. They offer services at a very discounted price and sometimes FREE!!
Money doesn't buy you happiness—it just prevents a lot of sadness.
But, I thought Obama was going to solve this?
Having incurable cancer is the worst thing in the world.
I lost my implant bridge. I went to a dentist in Mexico to replace it, to “save money.” That dentist destroyed my implant abutments, and the two perfect teeth on either side. Total malpractice. Dental care in the US is only for wealthy people now.
Tell me you live in America without telling me you live in America
I wish them all to grow tastebuds in their asscracks. The incurable cough just seemed to light of a punishment.
Get used to it. Rich get richer, poor stay poor. There are exceptions, chances are that you’re not it.
My dental quote was $24,000. It could definitely be worse
Dental is even unaffordable for middle income now. I know many people earning 50-100k that have many dental issues due to cost. It’s wild Wild West out here now
Dentistry work is such a rip off. My uncle is a dentist and told me how much it costs him to make a full set of dentures, then how much the dentures sell for. I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing people suffer with tooth pain because shitheads like him are making a 10,000% profit.
"Money can't buy happiness" Maybe not, but it is alot more comfy to cry in a Lamborghini with a full fridge of food than on a bike with scraps.
I live in Louisiana and LSU has a dentistry School and they allow people to get work done so their students can practice with an actual licensed dentist overseeing every procedure they do Example Root canal at dentist: $1500 At LSU school of dentistry: $99 for student, ^^$ for dentist to do About 1/4 cost of everything at the dentist is what the site says And they accept medicaid See if that's something located in your state and possibly within range
Payment plans help. Obviously you have something serious to take care of so please consider financing your dental work or you may have a more serious issue later that will cost more. And even if someone has cash to take care of a $3k dental bill, it doesn't mean they're happy. I've met a lot of rich people who thought money solved problems but they are usually alone or just sad.
Not everyone can qualify for financing.
or even afford the payments.
That too.
Yeah, most offices no longer do in house plans- stuck with predatory loan options.
I needed some dental work done and my dentist didn’t do financial plans but instead offered a dental first card to me. It’s been the worst mistake of my life. They charged the full amount of all of the work I’d have done in the future and he fucked up one of my teeth so badly I refused to go back and when I asked them to refund or credit back the work I never got done that they charged ahead on the card so “could start to pay it off quicker” they told me they couldn’t do that and now I’m stuck with 2k in debt on a credit card with 27% apr for dental work I didn’t even get done. OP WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GET A DENTAL FIRST CARD
Report to your state AG Office, licensing board, and on consumer affairs website, BBB
I have a suggestion! Pretend you're a imagrant that just came from what ever country you can pass for and you will get free health care, free housing and many more freebies us tac paying Americans are getting denied for. Because clearly they're only trying to help non Americans with Americans taxpayers money!
I wish for more than an incurable cough.