Personal experience. How to cheaply cure your teeth in the USA

If you do not have dental insurance and you need to cure your teeth, then most likely you will not avoid an account with a frightening amount. Photo: Depositphotos

Anyone who moves to a country with expensive medicine should undergo an examination before leaving, treat chronic diseases and repair teeth. I believe that this rule should appear on the first page of all guidebooks for immigrants. Anyway, I personally did not follow him, and flew to the United States for childbirth, believing that I have the best dental condition in the world and nothing can change that.

I was wrong. After 6 months after giving birth, I had problems that were temporarily solved by taking calcium and toothpaste for sensitive teeth, but after 2 a month I woke up with a wild toothache and realized that I could not endure anymore. I did not have insurance covering the services of a dentist. I had to look for options that would at least reduce the cost of repairing teeth.

Fortunately, such options exist:

• Dental problems can be solved in a dental school (dental school / school of dentistry) where pupils often need "experimental rabbits"

Student fees are lower than those of established dentists, the work is done under the supervision of a qualified doctor (as they promise). To get an appointment with a dentist, you need to find a dental school, fill out an application online and wait for your turn. You can wait a few months.

In an emergency situation "today-tomorrow" you can only be helped by tooth extraction. Not his treatment.

• Find a doctor who can cure your teeth in installments

Most likely, it will be a Russian-speaking doctor, with whom you simply agree on a fixed payment per month if the amount for his services exceeds your capabilities.

Usually installments called payment plan. It is possible or not possible such a payment format, you can, without hesitating, to find out from each doctor whom you will call.

• Get a card CareCredit, find a doctor who collaborates with this program and solve dental problems in his office

Care Credit is lending to medical services, including cosmetic procedures, dentistry, procedures related to vision correction and solving hearing problems, as well as the treatment of animals. In fact, this is a credit card, which can only be paid in certain medical offices. Credit limit is calculated individually. If you extinguish the required amount for the year, then do not pay bank interest. If you make a minimum payment on the card every month and the payment period is extended by more than a year, then in addition to the bank you will give 30% of the amount of your account.

• Find offers on the site Groupon

The Groupon website constantly updates offers for inspection and cleaning of teeth at a discount. If you need to assess the condition of the teeth, then this is a very good option.

• Fly to Mexico or Cuba and cure your teeth with local doctors.

True, in this case you will have to act at your own risk.

For dental treatment, you can take a loan in the CareCredit program, go to a dental school or find a doctor who will agree to pay by installments. Photo: Depositphotos

Until X, I consulted with my acquaintances who treated my teeth without insurance not at cosmic tariffs, studied the prices and possible options, but only on that ill-fated Monday (and I had a toothache) I began to ring up the doctors to arrange an emergency appointment. I started with the Russian doctors, contrary to the popular belief that they take "more than all." Two of them were on vacation, the third could take over 2 of the day, which was too late for me, and 1 the doctor agreed to take in the coming hours.

For some reason, all 4 Russian-speaking doctors with whom I contacted, at the time of my call, had an offer - screening, X-ray and cleaning for $ 79 / 89 / 69. Prices were about the same range.

I humbly suffered for several hours, arrived at the dentist, waited for 30 minutes of my turn and went into the office. The specificity of American medical offices is that the doctor can simultaneously serve several patients, migrating from office to office, while his assistants will perform the necessary manipulations, the results of which will be reported to the dentist before entering the office. In the office, I waited another 15 for minutes, until I had an x-ray of that part of the jaw where my tooth ached (another feature of American dentists), after which the doctor came in with a disappointing diagnosis and score.

Фото: Depositphotos

According to the expert, it was necessary to remove a nerve in a diseased tooth, clean the canals, put a crown, and put a filling in the tooth closest to it. All this came out in almost $ 3 thousands. By installments it was impossible to carry out the procedure, and I promised to think until tomorrow. Finally, the doctor wrote me painkillers Ibuprofen and Motrin, which helped me greatly to survive the night.

That same evening, I began to ring up other doctors and found another Russian specialist whose price for the services I was more comfortable with and who worked with the Care Credit system. I went to a new doctor the next day. I had to wait for about an hour, but I was quickly examined, another diagnosis was made and a bill was issued. According to the doctor, I did not need to clean the canal and remove the nerve in the aching tooth, but it was necessary to put only a filling in the aching tooth and also in 3 others. And here is another 1 tooth from above that needed serious repair. The total bill for 5 teeth came out at $ 2700.

I immediately clarified about installments, and I was given a 20% discount on the services of a doctor and offered to use Care Credit. Right at the doctor’s office, I filled out a paper application for a card, and the doctor’s assistant entered my data into an online application. While they were filling me, my participation in Care Credit was confirmed and given a loan for $ 3000 every month. Me and my husband. After visiting the doctor, I only needed to confirm my identity by phone at CareCredit.

The card was sent in 10 days. I make the payment from my online bank account on the CareCredit website. I plan to pay the invoice for 3 of the month, because I will not pay bank interest.

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