Dental Care Without Insurance

Over 100 million Americans do not have dental insurance. Thousands seek help at free dental care clinics that are often overwhelmed with the high demand for their services. Seth Doane reports.

[@MyVapez]

I just spent $54,000 on my teeth for a full mouth smile makeover, and that was the cheapest uninsured quote I could find in Oregon! There's no economic depression in dentistry, they are raping the uninsured like never before. If you want to get rich in a bad economy, become an oral surgeon specializing in dental implants, you'll be rich within months like my dentist, he's only 29 yrs old and already owns a 2.4 million home, 3 Mercedes Benz and flies to his 2nd home in Bermuda 4 times per year...

[@MattyIcecubes]

This is so sad and tragic to see. We have a standard here in America that we should all have a full set of perfect teeth, and anyone who doesn't is a lowlife. Yet, the cost of maintaining a set of perfect teeth is well out of the price range of the working class. Will the torture ever end?

[@Iris2nd]

I need a crown because one of my molars broke. The temp cap the dentist placed cost me 245.....For the crown itself, he charges one thousand something and my insurance only covered 4 something....i am on the hook for the remaining balance of 572. Dental care is a luxury in this country. That is why a lot of people are walking around with decaying/missing teeth. The majority (98.9%) of people if given the choice between medical insurance and dental insurance choose to have medical coverage.

[@vidfreak56]

What we really need are group discount dental plans for everyone. We need to start paying now and buying later. It would certainly be cheaper than what people pay now.

[@AlfsGirl]

True. People tend to forget the "clean" part of these conversations. We're talking about our *mouths* here! It goes with washing your hand every time you come in from outside. Not every facility shows the necessary hygienic care that it should. And not enough people are noticing and/or speaking up. As with the health department -- in the food industry, OSHA needs to do random surprise (and even undercover) inspections on a monthly basis to keep these people on their toes.

[@darklyaraxinito4017]

Why isn't Dental Care free? or at the very least cheap?

[@Lucixir]

Because society in America expects everyone to have perfect teeth yet everything we consume destroys are teeth. It costs thousands of dollars just to maintain your natural teeth and 10's of thousands to get them fixed. Minor problems are expensive and can't be fixed, it gets worse and worse very fast. You are forced to lose them because it's cheaper to take out then fix andyou can't take the pain very long. There isn't much you can do for tooth pain. They know it all leads to them and they monopolize the high costs to ensure everyone has to break the bank and go into deep debt just to have healthy teeth. It's such a shame that in America this is allowed to happen and be the Norm.

[@yasnignam32]

I wish there is free dentist here in Lynwood Washington too,to help those people that cannot afford dental fees like me....pls..help if you have suggestions.

[@IzludeTingel]

I went for an exam at Western Dental. They priced my whole mouth for 5,000 dollars. 4 Wisdom Teeth, Front Bridge, 1 extraction, 1 crown. Deep Cleaning... aye aye aye... I blame the fluoride scam going on with American Water.

[@dol345]

this is amazing!! wish they wud do something like this here. I can't afford dental care but just got a root canal today becz i was left with no choice...

[@AfroCuban4life]

This is ridiculous. Even when I had dental insurance, I could only get one tooth done per year. Then they laid me off. Back to no insurance and my annual horrible toothaches. I'm now planning to back to Cuba or Mexico to get the work done. Its just a matter of finding a good clean dental office.

[@13golfdad]

where would I go to get this work done at the prices your tell me

[@EFT4MeDebi]

How would someone in the Boston area find help like this?

[@Lakesidedental1261]

@izlude2 I see a huge difference in the tooth decay rates of those who grew up in areas with fluoridated water and those who didn't. Don't blame the fluoride as your teeth would likely have far worse if you didn't have it. You can blame, however, your dental hygiene habits.

[@Pkilla2011]

I wish I could smile again

[@becakmayat]

I'm a fresh graduate dentist from Indonesia, and I'd like to know how in the world could you American Fellow Dentists manage this event.

[@ScaperSteph]

We HAVE Dental insurance and the costs are still ridiculous. I'm not looking forward to going next month. I know I have some cavities and I had two fillings fall out, one up front and one back molar. I don't know what I'm going to do if I need crowns/root canal. I'd definitely have the back molar pulled. Ugh... I also still have 1 baby tooth because my left eye tooth never came down... it's still in my head. lol My parents couldn't afford that one when I was a kid and now I can't @ 36.

[@TommieDavenport]

what about the people like seniors, that cant afford much needed dentures... they dont have insurance the chosen few is rip of when they do see a dentist... i just wish there was a way everyone could get atleast fair dentist coverage...

[@ddavis5229]

Absurd prices dentists in USA ..Shit !

[@funnyknights8905]

So nice

[@Champ675]

Talk about a GREAT GROUP that dose something that most won't!!!!

[@Insidapc]

I write to you with excruciating pain in my mouth that I have suppressed off and on with pain pills. (For nearly 3 weeks this time.) I've found I cannot afford "tooth saving" treatment, regardless of having dental insurance. Health clinics will pull my teeth for a more affordable rate. Since sustaining life requires one to eat and one cannot eat, by definition, without digesting their food, it is necessary to chew food... with teeth, which by definition, are used for "mastication" or digestion!

[@AlfsGirl]

Which country are you in? I'm coming to get my teeth fixed!

[@sha370z]

dental cost in the top five

[@osudds]

free dental clinic 800 volunteers

[@berwyn79]

im one of them....cant afford to even have dentures done on my insurance...dental health is really high in demand and extremely expensive..ones that can afford iare the ones that have money in their mouths or born into the family of money..then its not a problem for them but for us regular people its either food and housing to stay alive or have damaged teeth..pick ur choice..i have 4 kids to feed and no muny left for dental..they are covered but not me..

[@Insidapc]

(cont.) Therefore, by having a "health care" clinic remove your teeth, aren't you really having them aid you in death? After all, to sustain life you must "eat". To "eat", you must digest food. "Chewing" food is the first step in digestion by definition. "Teeth", by definition, are used for "mastication". "Mastication" is defined as the first step of digestion... In other words, I need my teeth to live. Please don't pull them out. Let's make quality care affordable. The tech is already there...

[@BRITTWOODNESHIE]

Dental is so expensive. Even the ones in the city who provide to low income families want a lot of money. I got two extractions a few days ago, it was only 70 to get one wisdom tooth pulled, and then they pulled out the tooth in front that was infected for free. 70 isn't a lot, but other work that I need done is expensive. I need to get me a job with nice benefits and start saving up for dental work.

[@mario12359]

I'm fortunate to live in a city where they offer low cost dental care based off income where on average people pay 100 bucks or less to get their teeth cleaned and less then 300 bucks to get their teeth fixed for a majority of dental problems. You can imagine though even though its far cheaper for the UNINSURED that place gets backlogged for 2-3 months and their are people who travel like over 100 miles just to go to that office and that is tragic. Some dental procedures are free but you are talking months await and you may not even qualify or even be able to get the care at that dental office. It is funded by donations rather then costs.

[@oliversmith6987]

Can u help me fixed my smile

[@NorceCodine]

Behold the "Superpower" - lol. 100 million people can't go to a dentist. But if a senator feels a little dizzy, a black armored helicopter picks him up to the nearest clinic, and his bodyguards clear out the other people with machine guns first.