“I lost my insurance so I didn’t go to the dentist.”
When I hear this from a “new” patient, (someone who just got insurance again and came back in), I get concerned. It may seem like a good move to skip dental visits when you are not covered by insurance but that is a real BAD idea. When you get your teeth cleaned a lot more happens that removing plaque and calculus. Dental radiographs are reviewed, and a comprehensive exam is completed. This allows the dentist to find new cavities or make plans to repair exiting dental restorations. If you skip a visit to save money and a cavity is not found, the decay will grow and usually lead to nerve infection and nerve death. Let me tell you, I see these folks often enough to know, you do NOT want to be one of them. The pain can be excruciating. This leads to tooth loss or a large expense. If you look at the purely the financial aspect of the case; saving $200 on the cleaning and x-rays is no bargain. A filling cost around $200 a root canal and a crown cost $3000. Do the math. Getting pain and expense when you thought you were saving money is not the way to go!