Can't afford that pricey crown? Here are some tips on finding low-cost dental care.
Steps
- 1Start calling local dental offices. Some offer income-based fees. Try ones affiliated with local governments (countries or cities). If you are unsure about where to find them, contact your region's health department for more information.
- 2See if there are any clinical trials being held in your area. Some trials require you to have a specific oral, dental, or craniofacial condition, whereas others require the patient to be healthy. Trials can be for treatment, prevention, diagnostic, screening, or quality of life purposes. There are four different phases to clinical trials:
- Phase 1. The purpose of this phase is to test the safety of a particular drug or device. It usually calls for a group of 20-100 volunteers, who are often paid to participate. Researches will monitor the side effects of the drug or device, as well as how a human body handles different dosages.
- Phase 2. The purpose of this phase is to test the success of the drug or device. It calls for a group of several hundred volunteers. The patients will be broken up into two groups—one will receive the experimental treatment while the other will receive a control. The outcomes will be compared.
- Phase 3. The purpose of this phase is to provide more in-depth knowledge of the drug/device's effectiveness. This will be accomplished by providing randomized/blind testing to several hundred to several thousand patients.
- Phase 4. The purpose of this phase is to compare the drug/device to those already on the market, including the long-term effectiveness of the drug both health and cost-wise. It is conducted once the drug/device has been approved and is on the market.
- 3Find a college or university that trains dentists. Most dental schools have a clinic in which they offer reduced cost care. This allows their students to practice and also qualifies the schools for tax breaks and grants. In addition to having two to three years of dental coursework experience, the students who treat you are supervised by licensed professionals, meaning that the care you get at a dental school is no less safe than at a normal dental clinic. If you are still worried, look for a dental school that includes a post-graduate and/or faculty clinic. Even if you have to drive some distance, the savings are worth it. The estimate for x-rays and crown is $450 at a dental school, versus over $1000 at a regular dental facility.
- If you want just a cleaning, a local community college probably has a dental hygienist training program. Here, too, students do supervised work on you for a low price.
- 4Look for free dental clinics. These are usually run by churches or local non-profit agencies. In most cases they will ask for a donation but will perform most basic procedures for free.