To all Duers who have trouble affording dental care:

[Brigid]

Google "low-cost dental care" and add your state to find out what free or low-cost dental care options exist in your area. Do it now, before you face this dangerous and tragic situation:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1871403&mesg_id=1871403

A toothache is no joke, and Googlw is your friend.

[leftyladyfrommo]

1. I can't afford a regular dentist so I go to the dental school.

I've had great care there. Slow. Costs about 1/3 as much. But you can't get in a hurry.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

16. I used to do that. Got a gold crown for free once because they needed

someone for a Board Exam. I only went in as a "Back up" but someone's patient didn't qualify and I was picked. Got a free lunch too. I wonder if that is the crown and tooth that needs to come out now? It was many years ago, two hour drives to the school and three hour appointments, so it was an all day adventure when I went. Every time you get transfered to a new student they start from the beginning with assessments and cleaning.

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. Yea. There is a downside to it.

But i needed two implants that would have cost probably $7,000 at a regular dentist and I got them for $2200.

Last time I got my teeth cleaned I was the student's first patient ever. It took two apointments. That was funny.

I only live about 30 minutes away from the school here in Kansas City so it's not a bad drive.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Also, if faced with choice between anti-biotics and pain meds, FFS choose the anti-biotics.

Unless you would rather die.

Naturally, there should be safeguards so that nobody has to make choose only one.

I imagine the man who died didn't have anyone to advise him, and he may not even have known the consequences of his decision.

Very sad all around.

[Fumesucker]

9. Then again, maybe he chose the pain meds because he didn't have enough for the antibiotics..

We really don't know.

[NYC_SKP]

11. Could be, if the pain meds were cheaper. How fucked up that is...

But just like the industry to charge more for the meds that would save your life.

Fuck.

[demwing]

25. I believe the pain meds were about 9% of the cost of the anti-biotics /nt

[WhiteTara]

20. Powdered Goldenseal Root is a very powerful

anti microbial. Although it doesn't work as fast as antibiotics, it will definitely kill infection. Caps for internal use, powder to use as a mouth wash. I had a friend who pulled his own tooth and used the goldenseal to keep the infection down. Scary. I found him a free clinic, but he wouldn't go. He also got antibiotics from a nurse after he pulled the tooth.

[csziggy]

3. Also, check with your local public health clinic

They will not offer dental care, but sometimes they can give referrals to dentists who do pro bono work.

My dentist is part of a group of local dentists that do work for free for people who need dental care. They can only do basic work, but at least that gets taken care of. They get their referrals through the county health clinic.

[Brigid]

5. That basic care you speak of is exactly the point.

It can help prevent situations like this from developing in the first place.

[Sherman A1]

4. Thanks for Posting

:kick:

[undeterred]

The wait list at the dental school is a year and a half.

Most of the "care" offered for free after you wait in line in a tent for 8 hours involves pulling out teeth. If you don't have money, you don't get dental care. Google can't find something that isn't there.

[TorchTheWitch]

30. been there, done that

Wasted a LOT of precious time and went through four students none of which would ever return any of my calls for a second visit and neither would the school every time I called to complain. When I finally found out how much it would cost to have all the teeth pulled that needed to be it turned out to be MORE expensive than my own unaffordable regular dentist. And this is one of the better dental schools in the country.

Maybe it's worth it for cleanings, x-rays, cavities or other small and non-emergency things, but for major problems it was an epic disaster and no cheaper than a regular dentist.

[steve2470]

6. also, let your pride go and be honest about your finances

I don't think anyone enjoys discussing your finances with a stranger but it's worth getting proper dental and medical care for. I've done it before.

[OneGrassRoot]

7. Another resource: Dentistry from the Heart

http://www.dentistryfromtheheart.org/

"Dentistry From The Heart is spreading free smiles across America. In 2010, Dentistry From The Heart has more than 200 events scheduled across North America -bringing free dental care events to communities in 48 states and Canada."

[Lars39]

8. The federal clinics do dental!

http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/Search_HCC.aspx

I don't know if he could have waited long enough to get an appt, though. Sounds like he should have been admitted.

[elocs]

10. 2 years ago here in La Crosse we had a free dental clinic, "Mission of Mercy":

http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/43486/mission-of-mercy-provides-dental-care-for-needy.html

The two-day Mission of Mercy program at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin provided free dental care for 1,533 people during a two day event sponsored by the Wisconsin Dental Association and Foundation.

According to the La Crosse Tribune, there were more than 900 volunteers from many states who provided more than $800,000 worth of dental care over the course of the event, mostly to people who do not have or cannot afford dental insurance or otherwise do not have access to dental care.

"I want good dental care for my kids, but I just don’t have the money," said Brad Dungy of La Crosse to the Tribune. "Times are tight, so I came here to make sure my kids get some dental care. I'll wait all day if I have to."

Dungy had a tooth extraction and his two children, ages 8 and 11, had a cleaning and a filling put in during their dental checkup.

It's been 4 years since my last checkup, fortunately I have no problems.

[Historic NY]

12. No one should have to suffer.....there is help out there please spread the word...

hell I would have paid the extraction costs. I know how much pain he would have had.

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. I just had a new porcelain crown put in and it cost me a whopping $150.00

it was at modern clinic in Manila. Actually traveling to various developing countries for dental and medical procedures is now becoming utterly mainstream - simply because of the cost. For extensive dental work it might very well be worth a trip abroad. In fact even Medicare is now starting to certify some facilities outside the U.S.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

18. I have gone to Algadona Mexico, it's right on the Calif. border near Yuma, Az.

An Indian reservation has a camp ground on the Calif side. There is a parking lot there, cost $2/day to park and the receipt was worth 2 dollars at their Casino. I used it to buy breakfast. I used two different dentists there for gold crowns, they were cheaper than the dental school. Now the cost of gas may not make it a savings to drive that far, but it was worth it when I went. When I went it was a small town with lots of dentists, drug stores and optometrists for the snow birds.

[Douglas Carpenter]

19. thanks for your input on that..just a note to those who are interested

a simple google search with the words dental tourism + the location be it in Mexico or the Philippines, Thailand or wherever will give them information on where such services are available.

For example I found this by putting in Dental Tourism Algadona Mexico and found this site:

http://www.dayodental.com/destinations.php

There are of course countless sites offering information wherever in the developing world one would be interested in finding,

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Prevention is the key! Teeth and gums CAN heal themselves if clean. Here are links

to a program that you can do at home. Dr. Robert O. Nara went to dental school 50 years ago and graduated the top of his class. He finished dental school a year early and they made him finish his senior year by learning periodontal gum surgery. After he graduated dental school he went into the military where he practiced dentistry and performed periodontal gum surgeries until he started putting soldiers on a simple regimen of flossing, brushing their teeth with salt or baking soda and irrigating with salt water. The patients started coming back to him cured. Teeth had no cavities and gums had repaired themselves.

He started doing research back in the 70s and discovered that teeth, if CLEAN, could heal caries. Recessed gums and degraded bone COULD regenerate and grow back. He took his research to the ADA and they ran him out of town faster than you can say cavity. They wanted no part of PREVENTION. Money was/is in DRILL, FILL and BILL.

Dr. Nara had 4 children (? maybe it was 5) and taught them all how to care for their teeth by doing it for them when they were too little to do it themselves. He brushed, flossed and irrigated their teeth everyday until they were old enough to do it themselves. They are all adults today and ALL of his children have been cavity free their entire lives! His book, "Money by the Mouthful" explains his research and the very simple regimen. Brush with salt (OR just a plain toothbrush with nothing on it) or baking soda, floss with dental TAPE and irrigate with salt water. There's a toothpaste called "Restore" that will remineralize the teeth and HEAL CAVITIES. Don't use mouthwash with alcohol, it damages enamel. Closys makes an alcohol-free mouthwash and a toothpaste without fluoride. You really CAN eliminate a dentist from your life if you make a concerted effort to keep your teeth clean at all times. Clean teeth CANNOT DECAY. That's just a fact.

Here are the links and the book is worth the price! It's a great read and he explains everything you need to know to be your own dentist....so to speak. Personally, I'm going to my LAST dental visit in 2 weeks for a cleaning and I'm done with dentists....unless I have a broken tooth or something and HAVE to go. This is a Holistic approach and it was how Dr. Nara practiced until he retired.

There are a TON of links on the left side of the page at the second link. Follow them and READ. You will learn a LOT about HOME dental care. Prevention is the way to go. Avoid the dentist. My last visit the dentist wanted to do a deep cleaning and sell me a $900 irrigation package! NO THANK YOU. I bought the ViaJet Pro irrigation system from the link below and started Dr. Nara's regimen.... Twice a day. I highly doubt the hygienist will have much to clean from my teeth on the next visit.

I also recommend "Periogen" which dissolves plaque and tartar from teeth. It's sold at Amazon.com and you can read all about it at Periogen.com. They have a blog on their site where the administrator has answered a bunch of questions. It's worth a read. I started using Periogen in June after my last cleaning and recommend you start using it AFTER you've had your teeth cleaned just to keep them clean, but it's not necessary to do that. It DOES dissolve existing plaque, but it takes 4-6 weeks to do so. It WORKS. Since I found Dr. Nara's regimen, I will finish what Periogen I have and use Dr. Nara's program only from now on. If you have plaque build up and can't afford a cleaning, Periogen will dissolve the plaque and in conjunction with that you can start Dr. Nara's program to keep them plaque-free. The Periogen isn't cheap, but it IS less expensive than a dental cleaning. I use the Periogen in my irrigation system. It works best that way, but can just be swished in your mouth if you don't have a Waterpik/ViaJet.

Hope this helps...

Links to Holistic Dental Care ...be sure to follow all the links on the left side of the page at the second link:

http://mizar5.com/mm.html

http://mizar5.com/keyes.html

[OneGrassRoot]

21. Thank you so much for this. :) n/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

27. You're welcome.

:hi:

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

15. If you are a veteran the VA will do extractions for free

You may not be eligible for other dental work, I'm not, but some folks seem to be and every vet is able to get a tooth pulled if they need it. I think I'm going Tuesday.

[B Calm]

22. I had a wisdom tooth pulled at the VA, but I hadn't been out of the service maybe a year

[StarsInHerHair]

17. go to pet store & get antibiotics there, use internet or library to match up kind as

close as you can. If you are not allergic to penicillin it is easier.......look in the fish section & realize you are much bigger than a fish-look at the dosage on prescription & follow that.

[RebelOne]

24. I buy my Tetracycline from ThatFishPlace.com. n/t

[eShirl]

29. +1

[Toucano]

31. I've had good luck at farm supply stores.

I wouldn't be comfortable telling other to do it, but I can say I've had success.

[sfpcjock]

23. I found this article by Googling what you say. Is this what you were referring to?

Thanks.

Finding Low-Cost Dental Care - nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth ...
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/popularpublications/findinglowcostdentalcare/

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services External Web Site Policy (CMS) administers three important federally-funded programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

* Medicare External Web Site Policy is a health insurance program for people who are 65 years and older or for people with specific disabilities. Medicare dental coverage is limited; it does not cover most routine dental care or dentures.
* Medicaid External Web Site Policy is a state-run program that provides medical benefits, and in some cases dental benefits, to eligible individuals and families. States set their own guidelines regarding who is eligible and what services are covered. Most states provide limited emergency dental services for people age 21 or over, while some offer comprehensive services. For most individuals under the age of 21, dental services are provided under Medicaid.
* CHIP External Web Site Policy helps children up to age 19 who are without health insurance. CHIP provides medical coverage and, in most cases, dental services to children who qualify. Dental services covered under this program vary from state to state.

CMS External Web Site Policy (1-800-MEDICARE) can provide detailed information about each of these programs and refer you to state programs where applicable.

[Brigid]

28. Not quite.

I just googled "low-cost dental care California" and got this:

http://www.google.com/m/search?q=low-cost+dental+care+California&pbx=1&aq=f&oq=&aqi=-k0d0t0&fkt=7463&fsdt=39299&cqt=&rst=&htf=&his=&maction=<oken=75d2b20d

The California Dental Association site looks promising. And try this one too:

http://www.dentalguideusa.org/state_dental_assistance.htm