What to Do When You Have a Toothache and No Dental Insurance

A toothache can strike without warning - and when you're uninsured, the physical discomfort can be accompanied by a mental one: worries about how you can afford treatment. Too many people delay seeing a dentist because they're worried about the cost, but ignoring a toothache can allow a minor problem to become a much more serious and expensive one.

This article provides some options to explore when you find yourself with a toothache and no dental insurance (including no access to public insurance programs like Medicaid).

Don't Ignore the Pain

First and foremost, don't ignore dental pain. It's your body's way of communicating that there is an issue. The issue might be something very minor, such as food trapped between two teeth, or it might be something more serious like gum disease. Whatever the cause, it is important to get proper care from a dental professional.

Option 1: Dental Savings Plan / Dental Discount Card

A dental savings plan (otherwise known as a dental discount card) is a fee-based program allowing enrollees to obtain discounted dental service rates from participating dentists and related dental professionals. Around one hundred thousand dentists accept dental savings plans across the United States. Depending on the plan, you may be able to have access to dental care discounts a few days after enrolling. At DentalInsurance.com, we offer a Careington dental savings plan.

There are a few important things to know about dental savings programs:

• They do not have waiting periods (a waiting period is a period of time before the insurance company will pay for covered dental care)
• They are not dental insurance. Members enrolled in a dental savings plan receive discounted prices on dental procedures. They do not have an insurance company pay for part of the care like traditional dental insurance
• They do not have annual limits on using discounted services nor do they have limits on how much you can save each year on dental care

Option 2: Dental Payment Plan

A dental payment plan is an arrangement where a dentist enables an expensive procedure to be paid for in smaller installments over a predetermined period of time. Normally there is a written agreement defining how much is owed, what the installment payments are, how long the installments must be paid, and what fees or interest will be charged alongside the original cost of dental care.

Things to consider before signing a dental payment plan:

• Has this dentist offered a competitive price for the dental procedure you need? Have you compared that cost estimate to cost estimates from other dentists?
• What is the interest rate on the payment plan? How much will you pay in interest over the course of the plan?
• Is there a monetary penalty for paying off your dental debt early?

Option 3: Charitable Dental Programs

There are many programs across the United States providing dental care to both the uninsured and low-income populations. The care obtained from these programs may be given at no charge, or it may be charged according to a scale based on the patient's income.

Another resource of low-cost dental care are dental schools. Dental schools typically provide dental services at a reduced rate since it allows students to obtain the experience they require for their professional development.

If you need help finding low-cost or no-charge dental providers in your state, select your state from our state resource page. At the bottom of each state page are links related to oral health issues, with the last section typically dealing with dental clinics serving the needs of uninsured and low-income communities.