The economy has been a struggle for most of this year and last year, and it has forced many people to trim down their budgets. Unfortunately, for several people, dental checkups made the cut list. As a result, dentists all over the nation have not only reported that their waiting rooms are sparse, but those who do come in are not happy patients.
Due to foregoing dental checkups, what was a minor, easy-to-fix cavity becomes an expensive, major health problem such as a root canal.
According to a Kaiser tracking survey, more than one-third of Americans did not see a dentist in 2008. It was the second-most popular way people attempted to cut down their budgets and health care costs. (The most popular way was to try home remedies over visiting a doctor.)
It’s an unfortunate fact that many people don’t place their oral health on the same standard as they do the rest of their bodies. The goal of dental care is primarily preventative, which is something people generally overlook and take for granted. Since many dental problems are initially painless for quite some time, the bi-annual check-ups will alert the dentist days, sometimes months, to a problem before the patient even notices it. For example, severe periodontal disease is not painful or even noticeable for a long time.
As a result, if you wait until you notice a problem before going to the dentist, you could have an extensive and expensive health problem that was easily preventable. So instead of trimming down your budget and cutting costs, you’ve actually added far more than you would have ever had to pay.
And don’t forget that your oral health directly affects your overall body health. Ignoring your teeth could create other costly health problems as well.
Moral of the story: don’t cut dental costs from your budget. If it comes down to eating or paying your mortgage over dental care, then, of course, take care of those needs. But don’t put off those check-ups for long, and try to talk to your dentist about a budgeted health care plan that will help you for your situation.