For every American without health insurance there are three without dental insurance. In 2000 the surgeon general estimated that over 100 million Americans lacked dental insurance.
In 2009, let's agree that we have 50 million without health insurance so at least 150 million of us have no dental insurance hence 150 million receive minimal or no dental care.
I'm one of those 150 million. I have no dental insurance so, like many without health insurance, due to the cost, I don't go to the dentist very often.
The definition of insanity is that dental health is not covered in health insurance policies. This implies that dental health is inherently different and less critical than our overall health.
Just ask anyone who has had a dental abscess whether dental disease is a critical component of our overall well being.
Last week I was brushing my teeth and I felt a crunch. Oh shit a broken tooth, just what you don't want to happen during a deep recession. I imagined a $5000 dental bill.
I didn't want to look in the mirror, fearing the worst I gingerly felt around with my tongue, and came upon a rather alarming crater.
Finally I peeked, it was either a broken tooth (the worst possible financial outcome), or a broken filling (second worst possibility).
I was thinking about one thing: cost. Not my health. Not about any pain that might be on its way. Only how much is this going to cost to get fixed. It shouldn't be this way, but it is.
During better economic times, I went to a dental office which was attached to a large New York City medical center. It was the faculty practice office. The dental care was excellent but expensive obscenely priced. I wrote a Daily Kos diary after I was charged bilked over $600 for a filling.
Given the state of our economy and the precarious financial situation most of us are enduring, I had to get my dental situation attended to and had to find a less expensive alternative.
My best friend who is married to a Chinese woman, had mentioned in passing a great dentist he had used in New York's Chinatown. So I went.
The building was a relic from the turn of the century, the halls not particularly clean and dimly lit. I took the stairs. I didn't feel like spending the weekend in a very old elevator.
The dental office was small. The reception room had one narrow bench. The cheerful receptionist who greeted me with a huge smile, made up for the cramped waiting area. One man was crouched on the floor eating a bowl of soup he brought up from the restaurant on the first floor. I felt very special, I was the only non-Asian person in the office. I loved the informal ethnic atmosphere.
Most important, the dental work was superior and the dentist a total delight. She was born in China and trained at a well known New York dental school, all her very presigious diplomas lined the walls.
I paid cash. The fees were explained ahead of time. Ever met an American doctor or dentist tell you what something will cost?
Here's what I paid, and yes, I recognize many people cannot pay even this:
3 surface filling $110.00
full set of x-rays $52.00
cleaning (done by the dentist) and exam $75.00
Here's what I paid in 2005 at the faculty practice office, where they hung me upside down and shook the money out of my pockets:
Exam and x-rays $325.00
One surface filling $210.00
Three surface filling $609.00 (the same one my new friend in Chinatown re-filled)
Three surface with Amalgam $455.00
Two surface Amalgam $376.00
The dental care I received in Chinatown was so superior, I will never return to the widely expensive uptown dental offices. Apologies to any high priced dentists who may read this.
Until we get healthcare reform, which must include dental care, I recommend anyone who needs dental work and has no insurance, consider a dental office in an immigrant enclave near where you live. If you do a little research and ask some questions, you'll undoubtedly find an excellent and caring dentist who will charge you an affordable fee.
And I'll leave you with this, I've told two friends who are equally fed up with unaffordable dentists, who are both heading to Chinatown for their next dental appointments.